If you own a cell phone, there's a good chance you've received spam text messages.

According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), HSBC's name was lifted by scam artists in recent days in an attempt to dupe consumers into providing personal financial information.

The BBB is now warning consumers about the scam and other reports of companies offering recipients free laptops, information about mortgage assistance, loan offers, and other services and products. "These messages are not only annoying, consumers need to know they're not going to stop any time soon, and what they should do to protect themselves" said David Polino, Better Business Bureau President.

Spam text messages generally violate the CAN-SPAM act, a federal law that sets the rules for electronic advertising. The Federal Trade Commission took action last month against one man who had sent over five million text messages in a 40-day period to pitch loan modification, debt relief and other services.

Recipients of the messages were sent to a website that falsely appeared to be a government site. According to the FTC, the scammer sold contact information he received from consumers who responded to the texts even those asking for the messages to stop as leads to third parties.

"Unwanted text messages that hook people into the scheme can be an unwanted expense and even threaten your personal identity," added Polino. "The first rule of thumb is to delete unknown messages and control your communication to any business. When you send the message, you have assurance that you can trust the reply."

The BBB has the following tips to help consumers avoid spam texts:

*Never reply to unknown text messages that you receive. If you respond, you are providing verification that the cell number is active and be more likely to receive future spam.

*Report the text immediately if it appears to be from your bank, the IRS, or any entity asking you for confidential account numbers or other personal information.

*Call your cell-phone provider and instruct them to block the phone number from which the texts or calls originate. You also have the option to block all messages from the internet since most spam text messages originate from there. This block would only block e-mail originating from the internet but not block mobile to mobile messaging. If you have a smart phone, there are various apps that can block spam.

*Only give your cell phone number to people that you trust. Avoid providing it online as a condition to take a survey, play a game, etc. Your number could be sold to marketing agencies without your prior knowledge.

*Register your number on the Do Not Call Registry. Federal law prohibits telemarketers from calling your cell phone, but you can still register it at donotcall.gov

*File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau by clicking here.

*Notify the Federal Trade Commission by clicking here.