MegaFon offers the "SMS Filter" (SMS-фильтр) value-added service, which identifies and blocks incoming SMS messages containing advertising content or that users do not wish to receive. The service can automatically add senders to a blacklist or whitelist based on MegaFon’s analytical findings. Users can also manage these lists independently via the service website: they can blacklist numeric or alphanumeric senders from whom they do not wish to receive messages, and whitelist important senders such as banks and transaction notification providers.
This service is available to MegaFon individual subscribers, sole proprietors, and enterprise customers. Actions taken to activate, deactivate, or manage the service by an enterprise customer’s employees or authorized users shall be deemed actions of the enterprise customer itself in accordance with the service terms. The service supports blacklist and whitelist management, blocked message viewing, and filter preference adjustment via the SMS Filter website, personal account, and USSD.
According to the product page, the service activation fee is 0 rubles, with a daily service fee of 5 rubles. Users can activate the service by entering their mobile number on the service website and completing SMS verification, sending an SMS with "1" to 2440, or dialing 4408#. To deactivate, users can use their personal account, dial *440#, or send "STOP", "СТОП", "ОТКЛ", "OFF", or "0" to 2440. The service is available within Russia, but does not apply to the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol.
MegaFon states that service SMS messages from banks and from MegaFon itself will not be automatically filtered by the system. However, if a user manually adds the relevant senders to the blacklist, transaction or service notifications may still fail to be delivered. In such cases, users should move the number to the whitelist and reinitiate the relevant transaction or request. SMS messages blocked by the blacklist are generally available for viewing on the website approximately one hour after receipt.
The service does not operate when the account has a negative balance. For users on a prepaid billing plan, insufficient balance may also prevent the service from being activated or cause it to be suspended. After a user cancels the service, information related to the blacklist, whitelist, and blocked numbers will be deleted and cannot be recovered. The product page specifies that blocked SMS messages remain stored on the website for 30 days after service deactivation, after which they are deleted. Upon reactivation, users will need to reconfigure their lists.
SMS Filter is an auxiliary spam management tool and cannot guarantee the blocking of all fraudulent or risky SMS messages. Some SMS messages may still be delivered because their technical characteristics make them difficult to identify as advertising. Users should still avoid clicking unfamiliar links, refrain from providing verification codes, passwords, or bank card information to SMS senders, and verify suspicious notifications through official channels of banks, government agencies, or operators.
