Is this a scam ?

marty111

I have just been sent the same message and have contacted both orange (my service provider) and vodafone ( who the sms came from) and both are aware and when you reply they bombard you with sms messages costing £1.50 each! apparently they use pay as you go simcards and dont register them once they have sent alot of sms they simply throw the simcard away.
the number which mine came from is: 07776233113 and the message reads:

FREEMSG: Our records indicate you may be entitled to 3750 pounds for the recent accident (what recident accident?) To claim for free reply with AID to this msg. to opt out text STOP.

NOTE: texting STOP will not work as all this does is confirm to the spammers/scammers that your number is active!
if you recive a message like this i wouldnt recommend texting stop to the number for this reason.

marty111

Further reading: xxx.asa.org.uk/Complaints-and-ASA-action/Adjudications/2009/12/Generating-Leads-Solutions-Ltd/TF_ADJ_47800.aspx


seems they just dont learn...

bubblesmoney

i had got these sms mesages as well, just deleted them. wish there was a spam button for text messages like we get for emails, so that we could automatically report these scamsters.

marty111

bubblesmoney wrote: »

i had got these sms mesages as well, just deleted them. wish there was a spam button for text messages like we get for emails, so that we could automatically report these scamsters.

in most cases reporting wont work as the numbers are not registered and the simcards are disposed off once used a few times.

when i phoned one back the number went through to vodafone and i think that most belong to vodafone. one way to stop this kind of abuse is to require all simcards to be registered by law before being used as tmobile,orange currently do.

Intasun32

marty111 wrote: »

One way to stop this kind of abuse is to require all simcards to be registered by law before being used as tmobile,orange currently do.

@Marty111,

I have had to register my Spanish & Italian sim cards due to new laws coming into force over the past 12 months. A copy of my passport plus original had to be shown in person upon registration. If this was not done by the set date the sim was cancelled.

Yes, you are correct in saying that TM & Orange (also Vodafone) register sims, but how? By completing an online form. No proof of ID is requested, so these morons can still continue to scam on these networks using false details.

I agree with you that all PAYG sims should be registered, this would stop the new trend of scams. It's the networks responsibility as to who is using their airtime, but all they seem to care about is profit!

:beer:

bobdvb

I have been getting these for a while now, I complained to the ICO by filling out a word document with a description and emailing it to them. I've received a response from them:

Thank you for your correspondence regarding an unsolicited marketing SMS text messages that you have received.

The Information Commissioner advises on and enforces the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (the Regulations). These regulations cover the way organisations market subscribers by electronic means (for example using telephone, fax, text and email). Marketing can include the promotion of goods, services, aims or ideals.

Regulation 22 says that organisations should not send unsolicited direct marketing by electronic mail (including text message) to individual subscribers without their prior consent.

In this case, it appears the organisation in question has contravened the Regulations.

It is the Commissioner’s policy to only take formal action where it seems to him to be the only way of ensuring compliance with the Regulations and in the great majority of cases he manages to achieve a satisfactory result without using his formal powers.

However, our office has received a number of complaints about these text messages and as such the matter has been passed to our Enforcement Department for their consideration. Details of the Commissioner’s strategy for regulatory action, which includes the Regulations, can be found under the Data Protection links on our website.

Details of any action taken against organisations under the Regulations are also displayed in the ‘Enforcement’ section of our website.

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.

Hopefully now they might stop this! :A

berliner

I got this message today. I'm on Vodafone, have been with them for 10 years, never changed my number and this is the first ever time I have had such a text. I didn't reply, but forwarded the text to the Vodafone spam service and will ask about it next time I'm passing a Vodafone shop to make sure I haven't been charged.

I never give my mobile number out to companies, nor do I ever use it when filling in online offers etc, I have a cheap PAYG for those things that demand a mobile number, specifically to avoid these kind of things. Makes me wonder how they got my number.

I don't think it's related, but I have had a couple of texts recently from numbers I don't know. Nothing like an advert, one sent a joke and another was just general conversation, I replied saying they had the wrong person and they didn't reply to that. Don't suppose it's a new tactic by scammers to get active numbers in a more innocent looking way?

Vodafone

Hi berliner,

I appreciate how frustrating it can be to receive these texts, I myself have received them in the past as well.

You did the right thing in forwarding this onto our Spam Service as this can now be investigated further.

If you’ve not had the opportunity to visit your local Vodafone store as you suggested, you can check your bill online here.

If you’d like to email us via Web Relations Team we’ll be happy to look into this for you.

(When contacting, please quote the code WRT135 in the subject line. In the main message body, please include a link to this thread and your user name. This will ensure that your message comes directly through to my team).

Best wishes,

Jenny
Web Relations Team
Vodafone UK

Silverstream

Received this message today, from +447542007303.
What I don't understand is how they make money out of this? If they're sending texts that cost £1.50, then the mobile operator must be charging the recipient, and paying the scammers. If they're paying the scammers, the mobile operator must know who they are, so why aren't they being prosecuted? Is it because the mobile company make a cut of the scam, so they don't give a toss that people are being billed fraudulently?

Jon_01

Silverstream wrote: »

Received this message today, from +447542007303.
What I don't understand is how they make money out of this? If they're sending texts that cost £1.50, then the mobile operator must be charging the recipient, and paying the scammers. If they're paying the scammers, the mobile operator must know who they are, so why aren't they being prosecuted? Is it because the mobile company make a cut of the scam, so they don't give a toss that people are being billed fraudulently?

The networks don't know that a service is being abused until they're told by their customers. That's why its important to tell them as soon as you get one.
There are depts that manage these things, but with 1000's of then running they can't monitor them all.