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jeremym9 Author

Level 1

6 points

Stop cnn Breaking News text alerts!

Hi - I started getting CNN Breaking News Text Alerts last week. They come as SMS from 1 (410) 100-001, -002, -003, incrementing one each time. So I can't block them by number. I've tried replying STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, Quit. Does nothing. I've tried unsubscribing via the cnn webpage, but it only asks for email. I do not have the CNN app installed on my phone nor any notification in my phone settings for CNN. In a shocker, Customer service at CNN is absolutely worthless. I am an ATT customer. Help!

iPhone 6, iOS 8.4

Posted on Jul 28, 2015 9:59 AM

26 replies

Jul 29, 2015 11:26 PM in response to jeremym9

Any luck? I have the same problem too!

jeremym9 Author

Level 1

6 points

Jul 30, 2015 5:18 AM in response to C Bouquet

Hi - I didn't get around to calling ATT yet - maybe tomorrow??? It dawned on me (others may have put 2 and 2 together before me) that the real key is getting access to CNN Member Services, now called Preferences. They seem to be changing that service and have done a pretty good job of keeping people out by redirecting any pages that should take you there (see thread above). I've called CNN and left 2 messages asking how one accesses this these days. I am not holding my breath on a reply but if anyone can figure out how to access that, I am hopeful that we can reset our preferences ourselves.

Jul 31, 2015 10:33 AM in response to jeremym9

Hi, I am having same problem, I found this att site that lets you manage text from email messages. I just blocked all, will see if it works

http://www.att.com/esupport/article.jsp?sid=KB92125

Jul 31, 2015 10:37 AM in response to andresb2015

Maybe a job for Wolf Blitzer and Situation Room. <sarcasm intended>

Jul 31, 2015 5:44 PM in response to andresb2015

This worked.

http://www.att.com/esupport/article.jsp?sid=KB92125

Thank you very much!!!

jeremym9 Author

Level 1

6 points

Aug 4, 2015 9:29 AM in response to C Bouquet

Hi - As an ATT customer, this appears to have worked for me as well. I resisted doing this because it seems a sledgehammer approach and I am not sure what else I am not going to get by doing this. I tried to avoid this, including putting the 2 suffixes with my cellphone prefix into the CNN email disable page, but nothing seemed to stop the flood. I haven't gotten a Breaking News Alert since Sunday when I made this update on AT&T.

Many thanks for informing of this solution.

Aug 7, 2015 12:05 AM in response to jeremym9

I started to get these again all of the sudden beginning about 7/20/15. I had subscribed in the past but about a year ago cnn stopped sending text/email alerts. I guess someone or something changed something in their messaging programming to start these up again. I tried replying with unsub, stop and they keep coming.

I tried yesterday going to their website and putting in the email address of the phone to unsubscribe but still got them. I put in an old email address for my phone xxxxxxxxxx@mobile.mycingular.com and xxxxxxxxxx@mycingular.net. These old cingular email addresses still work for me. I tested by sending me an email with them.

Just now I found in a help article that someone else posted below the att email address for the phone xxxxxxxxxx@txt.att.net Put that into the cnn unsubcribe page so will see if that works.

Aug 7, 2015 6:07 AM in response to LittleBit.WeeB

Well trying xxxxxxxxxx@txt.att.net as the email didn't work. Got another text alert email on my phone from cnn. It says to go to To unsubscribe from Breaking News e-mail alerts,
go to: http://cnn.com/EMAIL/breakingnews/unsubscribe.html?l=textbreakingnewsOne i put in my phones email address but the alerts keep coming.

jeremym9 Author

Level 1

6 points

Aug 7, 2015 6:15 AM in response to LittleBit.WeeB

Yeah...You're walking down the same road I did. Everything you're saying (started without notice in late July, replying back to the messages to STOP or unsubscribing on CNN website with the suffix combos that we used years back don't do anything) are spot on to what I encountered. The solution suggested by C Bouquet did indeed stop the alerts. But if you find a more elegant solution, such as getting our names out of the CNN Database, let me know!

Aug 14, 2015 10:13 AM in response to jeremym9

Found this on att website.

Text messages sent via email can also be blocked directly from your handset.

When you receive an email that you wish to block, simply reply to the email with

the word "block" in the body of your message. The sender's email address will be

added to your Block List. Note: this does not apply for mobile-to-mobile text

messages.

I responded to the email with the word block and,,,,,

FRM:attmessaging@txt.att.net
SUBJ:block list acknowledgement
MSG:The address
breakingnews@mail.cnn.com was added to your block list.

Hoping that this works.

Sep 10, 2015 2:55 PM in response to jeremym9

I have had exactly the same issue. I have called and emailed CNN to get assistance and they have been rude and unresponsive and unsubscribing with text email addresses have not stopped the nonstop text messages. Time for the nuclear option, join me in flooding their public relations department with complaints until they fix this (212) 275-8030

Stop cnn Breaking News text alerts!