Unwanted chargeable "Text Info Service" How do I stop it

[Deleted User]

I was very shocked when I checked my mobile phone bill tonight and found 3 charges for £5 each for some Text info Service that I had never asked for or agreed to. My mobile phone contract is with onetel which is now owned by talk talk.

On statement it says ....
Date - 7 Oct Time - 14:26:39 Duration - 00:00:00 Number Dialed - Text Info Servi Destination - MT Text Info - £5 Cost - 5.00 PK

There are 2 more transations the same but for different dates. What is a Text Info Service & MT Text Info and why am I being charged for it. I only ever use my mobile phone for making phone calls & for sending the occasional text to friends. I do not use wap or any thing else. I have not purchased any thing like a ring tone or game & have not given my number to any one. The only thing I do remember is a couple of weeks ago I recieved a couple of MMS messages from some mobile number. I don't know who they were from and did not even read them. I just deleted them straight away. My phone can't access that type of message any way.

Could these messages have any thing to do with the charges.

I have searched the internet quite abit and could not find much to help me on this subject. The only thing I did read about was about companys scamming people by send reverse charge text messages. Could some thing like this be the cause of the charges. How can I stop getting any more charges I can't afford to pay £5 charges again and again. Its alot of money. I cant reply stop to these mms messages as I can access the messages to be able to reply. I have deleted messages and so don't have number to be able to trackdown whos sending them. My phone bill isn't much help either as it does not state any phone number.

I have contacted onetel to complain and am waiting for them to get back to me. What else can I do.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance

jhp

http://www.phonepayplus.org.uk/consumers/complain/default.asp

Greensprout

Have you tried texting back 'STOP' ?

withabix

Greensprout wrote: »

Have you tried texting back 'STOP' ?

Read the OP's thread!

wantmemoney

teddybear154,
some crook (company/person) has obtained your mobile number. lists of numbers are traded within the 'industry' to be used for mass marked campaigns to send unsolicited reverse billed text messages
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/money/consumer_affairs/article5002795.ece

when your phone operator bills you they will keep up to 50% and pass the rest on to the company operating the campaign. this company will then share with the person/company that owns the list of mobile phone numbers.

your phone company is making a lot of money from this type of fraud and will probably be of little help but hopefully they should tell you the company who sent you the text.
when you obtain this information you will unfortunately have to contact them to have your number removed from their data list

before_hollywood

wantmemoney wrote: »

teddybear154,
some crook (company/person) has obtained your mobile number. lists of numbers are traded within the 'industry' to be used for mass marked campaigns to send unsolicited reverse billed text messages
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/money/consumer_affairs/article5002795.ece

when your phone operator bills you they will keep up to 50% and pass the rest on to the company operating the campaign. this company will then share with the person/company that owns the list of mobile phone numbers.

your phone company is making a lot of money from this type of fraud and will probably be of little help but hopefully they should tell you the company who sent you the text.
when you obtain this information you will unfortunately have to contact them to have your number removed from their data list

the only way messages can be stopped is by the company sending them, with most phonepayplus registered companies sending stop to the shortcode normally suffices, but in some cases you have to phone them and in extreme cases contact phone pay plus or change your number. the main problem with these companies is multiple companies are involved with each shortcode, so for example trace a shortcode through your operator or phone pay plus and they will say company a registered it, phone company a and they say, we registered it but company b run it for us so speak to them, then you phone company b and its not always them :eek:

phonepay plus regulations state that
1. the company must have a record of why they are charging you i.e if you are a subscriber, how did you become one, what did YOU do to initiate it, if you sent a text, what did it say, when was it etc
2. if you send 'stop' to the number of the shortcode, the messages must stop within 24 hours, this rule is trying to be tightened to make it immediate though

[Deleted User]

I have spoken to one tel today and they have confirmed that the charges are for a revers charge service. So a company is sending me reverse charge MMS messages and im having to pay £5 a time. And that there is nothing they can do. They won't refund my money. They also wont tell me who the company is who is sending these reverse charge messages or the number that they are coming from. They say they don't have this information to be able to tell me. They just keep telling me to send a message back saying stop but I can't as I can not access this type of message from my phone. It just comes up with a error message and there for can't send a reply. They also told me to contact ICSTIS but I can't if I don't know what company is doing this or what number they are coming from. I don't know what to do. No one wants to help and there seems no way to stop it. I can't afford to pay out £5 a time to these crooks who are sending out these reverse charge text messages. My only option seems to be to get my phone number changed but this would be a reall pain for several reasons. 1stly I have had the same number for about 8 years and all my work contacts have this number and so do all my family and freinds. It would be a night mare and would take along time to inform every one of my new number. The second reason is that onel tel (now owned by talk talk) have told me if I change my number and I have to start a new contract and as they are no longer offering new onetel contracts I would have to go on a talk talk contract which will cost me more each month. Also at the moment on the onetel contract im on I get unlimited free calls from my mobile to my home number and from my home number to mobile number. Which I use all the time to keep in touch with my wife when away with work. I would loose these unlimited free calls. I really don't know what to do. Is there any way to stop these reverse charge messages. Should I try and talk to one tel again. Are they aloud to not give me information about the company sending these messages or the number they are coming from.

Please help any advice would be much appreciated

thanks again