Complaints about unwanted text messages have soared in the past year as advertisers use the boom in mobile phones to target consumers.
Millions of text message advertisements are being sent every week and mobile phone owners are currently able to do little to prevent getting them.
Many of these unsolicited texts encourage people to phone premium rate numbers to win prizes or join adult chat lines.
This is a particular concern as text messaging is a popular way to communicate among children.
Phone users sometimes do not even know the message comes from a company and, if they reply, could pay up to £1.50 for each response.
The Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services (ICSTIS), which regulates premium rate calls, said it had received more than 150 complaints in the past six to nine months about this practice, which is known as reverse billing.
The Advertising Standards Authority upheld six complaints about text message promotions last year and, in the first six months of this year, there has already been seven.
The first complaint it upheld came after the September 11 terrorist attacks when an Army reservist received a text which read:
"Please report to your local army recruitment centre immediately for your second tour of duty."
The message turned out to be from Eidos, a computer games company promoting a new video game.
ICSTIS chairman Sir Peter North said: "Complaints levels arent growing as fast as the industry, but new services and platforms will only succeed if consumers feel able to use them with confidence and trust.Regulation must not treat consumers as an afterthought."
Earlier this year telecoms regulator Oftel introduced new rules to disconnect companies sending rip-off premium rate text messages to mobile phones.
Director general David Edmonds said: "While the vast majority of companies that offer premium rate services are responsible and abide by the industrys code of practice, certain premium rate lines have failed to meet acceptable service standards."
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