HELP! TEXT MESSAGE SCAM!

JPR

O2 WAP also has a scam going.

Use their free WAP minutes (from all the free SIMs around) when you are bored and if you go to their services such as "Where is my nearest pub" for example, they will tell you and then insist on sending you a text at 50p a time.

Managed to use this about 10 times in 5 minutes (where is my nearest Italian restaurant etc. - Yes I was bored) & £5.00 came off my bill with no warning.

As a grown-up I really must avoid this sort of thing! Certainly will avoid O2 in the future.

DonnyDave

Have a look at Grumbletext.

Glad

you can stop these texts by choosing reply and sending the word STOP in capital letters as a message, this does work, I've also tried ringing the numbers given me by orange to try and recover some of the money spent but always get an automated message with a promise to call me back, and they never do

Freebie_Hunter_2

you can stop these texts by choosing reply and sending the word STOP in capital letters as a message, this does work, I've also tried ringing the numbers given me by orange to try and recover some of the money spent but always get an automated message with a promise to call me back, and they never do

Saw this advice on Watchdog as well and I can confirm it does work.
I downloaded a ringtone and the first message I got I text them STOP and had no more

Di

Contact ICSTIS. they are the regulatery body for telecom providers. Tip- dont use any 118 nos. to get the number! use yell.com or similar

kane2

my current contract is very soon up for renewal, after being conned to sign up to a "verbal" 18 month contract on a totally unsuitable and out of date contract the last time by a company alledgedly calling from orange (who incidentally refused to viod the contract 14 days later as i had supposedly waited too long). I decided to call orange direct.
They asked me what my monthly bills were I had to be honest and say i wasnt quite sure, i know they are high because my phone is also used some work calls. I then proceeded to check my bills.... i found that i had a 84252 number on my bills , which i certainly had not subscribed to and didnt know anything about - I called orange and they basically said they couldnt do anything about it - i would have to call a number they gave me - which led to another company acting on behalf of "STREAM" - who i am now waiting for a phone call from to see where we go from here.
I have so far traced these multimedia charges back 4 YEARS !!! in my bills, thats 4 years of charges at least - which i never even knew i was being charged approx £1.50 per text and sometimes receiving several per month.
I knew i was receiving multimedia messages , but never ever opened then as i thought they were just spamm advertising.
THE LESSON IS - CHECK YOUR BILLS, even if you havent subscibed to anything.

does anyone know where i can go from here? can i get my money back ?

superscaper

kane2 wrote: »

my current contract is very soon up for renewal, after being conned to sign up to a "verbal" 18 month contract on a totally unsuitable and out of date contract the last time by a company alledgedly calling from orange (who incidentally refused to viod the contract 14 days later as i had supposedly waited too long). I decided to call orange direct.
They asked me what my monthly bills were I had to be honest and say i wasnt quite sure, i know they are high because my phone is also used some work calls. I then proceeded to check my bills.... i found that i had a 84252 number on my bills , which i certainly had not subscribed to and didnt know anything about - I called orange and they basically said they couldnt do anything about it - i would have to call a number they gave me - which led to another company acting on behalf of "STREAM" - who i am now waiting for a phone call from to see where we go from here.
I have so far traced these multimedia charges back 4 YEARS !!! in my bills, thats 4 years of charges at least - which i never even knew i was being charged approx £1.50 per text and sometimes receiving several per month.
I knew i was receiving multimedia messages , but never ever opened then as i thought they were just spamm advertising.
THE LESSON IS - CHECK YOUR BILLS, even if you havent subscibed to anything.

does anyone know where i can go from here? can i get my money back ?

Talk to ICSTIS the regulator. They're not always that helpful but it's a starting point. Get the exact details of who your money went to in the first place. Who they are working on behalf or pass the details on isn't as important. Work out EXACTLY what you've paid them, you can't demand anything unless you're specific. Ask them for that precise money back. If they refuse then go down the small claims court route to claim it back although best checking with consumer direct first.

peterbaker

Forget the regulator (sic)

I warned about this some weeks ago.

The answer is to create merrie hell with your network provider. Tell them in no uncertain terms that you can reach no other sensible conclusion that unless they stop it immediately then they are allowing their accounts to be used to aid and abet FRAUD!

The first person you speak to is likely not to understand the gravitas of your accusation. Escalate your call as soon as possible during your complaint.

Your network provider is likely at first to deny knowledge of how the amounts have been charged by suggesting that it is a Third Party and they cannot intervene. Cut through that bullsh|t and tell them that if it appeared on your account with them then they had better have proper accounting records or they themselves are committing a corporate accounting offence to add to that of aiding and abetting a fraud. They will soon break off to access their systems and then tell you exactly how many £1.50 texts have been charged, and when, and to which premium "reverse charge" text numbers.

Then tell them to re-credit your account by the amount fraudulently taken. They may argue the toss about the manner of the recredit. They may call it a goodwill gesture. It is up to you to decide if that is acceptable.

You may need to assist them to prevent further debits to your account by sending "STOP" by SMS to any of the numbers you can identify, and they identify (from their 'non existent' records which miraculously appear when you turn up the heat ).

Good luck!

superscaper

peterbaker wrote: »

Forget the regulator (sic)

Why the (sic)? Isn't it only usually put to emphasise incorrect spelling of the original etc?

The only time I've seen it happen personally the network took far too long and lead nowhere (they also refused to actually give details of the company), whereas the company itself once told in no uncertain terms that the service was never requested they refunded the full amount within a couple of days of asking. The network in my opinion is ultimately responsible but when it came down to it in our case of physically getting the money back going through the text company was more practical.

peterbaker

Well I was never really certain on the use of 'sic', superz, but I think my current understanding is correct ... you can use it to acknowledge that you have noticed an incorrect spelling by someone else but are repeating the error, but a more subtle use (I think) is where the word itelf, whilst technically correct in common usage, appears to be a complete misnomer