Adult chat line bill - Telebilling

Pound

I received a text message from a number I didn't recognise last week asking me to give them a call on their landline number 02032858191. I figured it was a scam but it wasn't a premium rate number so I called it to see what it was and at what point they asked for money.

Turned out to be an "adult chat line" where it told me a charge for the service and that I could pay with my credit card. After a couple of minutes with messing with the options I hung up and thought nothing more of it.

A few days later I had a call from a woman telling me I had a bill to pay for calling an adult chat service and asked for my postcode. Knowing that I didn't actually use this service or explicitly agree to such a contract I told her what she could do with her bill. She started telling me that they'd trace who I was and pass it onto a debt collection agency. I invited her to do so and she hung up although I haven't heard another thing from them.

After a bit of research on this company it seems to me that the company make money out of people paying up but haven't actually taken anyone to court. The company has also been fined in the past by Ofcom.

Other discussions on this company:
http://www.grumbletext.co.uk/vt.php?t=371
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/bulletins/comp_bull_index/comp_bull_ccases/closed_all/cw_880/
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1240095
http://www.the-scream.co.uk/forums/t28464.html?
http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/investigations/2008/09/sleazy-text-messages-from-alex.html

Other numbers (for Googlers):02032858170 02032858171 02032858172 02032858173 02032858174 02032858175 02032858176 02032858177 02032858178 02032858179 02032858180 02032858181 02032858182 02032858183 02032858184 02032858185 02032858186 02032858187 02032858188 02032858189 02032858190 02032858191 02032858192 02032858193 02032858194 02032858195 02032858196 02032858197 02032858198 02032858199 02032858200 02032858201 02032858202 02032858203 02032858204 02032858205 02032858206 02032858207 02032858208 02032858209 02032858210 02032858211 02032858212 02032858213 02032858214 02032858215 02032858216 02032858217 02032858218 02032858219 02032858220 02032858221 02032858222 02032858223 02032858224 02032858225 02032858226 02032858227 02032858228 02032858229 02032858230 02032858231 02032858232 02032858233 02032858234 02032858235 02032858236 02032858237 02032858238 02032858239 02032858240 02032858241 02032858242 02032858243 02032858244 02032858245 02032858246 02032858247 02032858248 02032858249 02032858250 02032858251 02032858252 02032858253 02032858254 02032858255 02032858256 02032858257 02032858258 02032858259 02032858260 02032858261 02032858262 02032858263 02032858264 02032858265 02032858266 02032858267 02032858268 02032858269 02032858270 02032858271 02032858272 02032858273 02032858274 02032858275 02032858276 02032858277 02032858278 02032858279 02032858280 02032858281 02032858282 02032858283 02032858284 02032858285 02032858286 02032858287 02032858288 02032858289 02032858290 02032858291 02032858292 02032858293 02032858294 02032858295 02032858296 02032858297 02032858298 02032858299 02081142920 02081142999 02081145400 02081145401 02081145402 02081145403 02081145404 02081145405 02081145406 02081145407 02081145408 02081145409 02081145410 02081145411 02081145412 02081145413 02081145414 02081145415 02081145416 02081145417 02081145418 02081145419 02081145420 02081145421 02081145422 02081145423 02081145424 02081145425 02081145426 02081145427 02081145428 02081145429 02081145430 02081145431 02081145432 02081145433 02081145434 02081145435 02081145436 02081145437 02081145438 02081145439 02081145440 02081145441 02081145442 02081145443 02081145444 02081145445 02081145446 02081145447 02081145448 02081145449 02081145450 02081145451 02081145452 02081145453 02081145454 02081145455 02081145456 02081145457 02081145458 02081145459 02081145460 02081145461 02081145462 02081145463 02081145464 02081145465 02081145466 02081145467 02081145468 02081145469 02081145470 02081145471 02081145472 02081145473 02081145474 02081145475 02081145476 02081145477 02081145478 02081145479 02081145480 02081145481 02081145482 02081145483 02081145484 02081145485 02081145486 02081145487 02081145488 02081145489 02081145490 02081145491 02081145492 02081145493 02081145494 02081145495 02081145496 02081145497 02081145498 02081145499

Butlers1982

What did the text message actually say can i ask?
I mean companies arent allowed to send unsolictited texts of an adult nature unless you have stated on some sort of form or made calls before that you are over 18.
If the text was worded in an adult nature then im sorry but youve no one to blame bu yourself, also how long were you on the call for??

Pound

Blame for what exactly? Do you think companies can send arbitrary bills to people that have called their number?

hollydays

I had one of these messages,i searched it on"who calls me",loads of people had them.
It could make a wife or partner very unhappy,as they look as though they know the person.

The message I had was something like "we had a wonderfull time last night" ..etc..,it wasn't !!!!!! exactly,but suggested there was a relationship going on,which wasn't platonic.It looked like a mobile number.
OP i notice you use the gambling forum,aren't those sites notorious for that?

I think this is virtually blackmail

Pound

OP i notice you use the gambling forum,aren't those sites notorious for that?

Not from personal experience. But since I give most of the bookies a lot of my financial details I do try to check if they're reputable first.


What else is interesting is that I've looked through my phone book and when I called I withheld my number but they still got it!

hollydays

some companiesz can do that

1jim

let them pursue you for this, next time they call ask for their head office address where you can counter sue for harrasment, also mention trading standards and the police. Hope you have kept the text asking you to call. I would also name and shame them everywhere you can think of, if your phone is pay as you go and is not registered you could also get another sim and problem gone ;-)

wantmemoney

hi Pound,
it looks like Telecom Billing Services Ltd
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/bulletins/comp_bull_index/comp_bull_ccases/closed_all/cw_880/

their 'dept collector' is also them. they operate in almost every country in Europe.
they trick the person into calling an ordinary 02 number and capture the callers number. they then phone back to obtain contact details.
i do not know of a single case where they have carried their threats to sue out.

Pound

1jim wrote: »

let them pursue you for this, next time they call ask for their head office address where you can counter sue for harrasment, also mention trading standards and the police. Hope you have kept the text asking you to call. I would also name and shame them everywhere you can think of, if your phone is pay as you go and is not registered you could also get another sim and problem gone ;-)

Somehow I doubt they will pursue me, it was probably a scare tactic that some people might fall for. I don't know how much they think I owe them but I doubt they'd bother going down the line of tracking me down, going before a judge to say I owe them some money merely because I called a phone number.

It was just so cheeky the way she was demanding that I give her my postcode.

wantmemoney wrote: »

hi Pound,
it looks like Telecom Billing Services Ltd
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/bulletins/comp_bull_index/comp_bull_ccases/closed_all/cw_880/

Ooh, that name sounds familiar. I'm sure they said their name was something like 'Tele billing'.

I found this thread which was quite interesting:

http://www.grumbletext.co.uk/vt.php?t=371

Apparently some people even have received demands for payment through the post!

Cat695

buy a very loud air horn and have it close to hand next time and ever time they call....they will get bored before you do.

Idiophreak

Bit confused...this sounds like a scam, pure and simple to me...surely *someone* should be able to shut this down?