Mobile SMS scam - FUMING!!

jasmineswhiskers

Hi, My OH has just been sorting out a complete rip off scam this morning regarding his mobile and sms messages. He has a monthly contract and having checked his bill this month found over £20 of SMS Premium Rate Text Messages on it. He called ICSTIS (having had not much help from Vodaphone) and basically what happened is that in November he went online on his mobile accidently. When online for literally seconds his number was then targeted by this company who then started sending occassional 'junk mail' messages. He never read or opened these as they looked dodgy just deleted them. It turns out these messages are shortcode reverse charge messages. So basically he has to pay £1.50 for every message he RECEIVES! This has been going on since Nov (unfortunately he didnt check the itemised calls) and the last days they have been sending one a day!! You do the maths! Probably about £100 in total! Icstis gave him the number of the company sending these from the number they have been sent from and apparently they're saying he signed up for these messages which he absolutely didn't and that if he'd read them he would have seen that he could have cancelled after the second or third one. He didn't ask for these messages but because he didn't say he didn't want them (they didn't make sense so it wasn't even obvious what they were) they carried on. I can't believe this is allowed. Something really needs to be done. They have said they will refund £40 - hmmm we'll see. Also I think Vodafone should take some responsibility. I know they get 50%+ from these so not much incentive :mad: but its totally out of order. Just had to have a rant. Hope it makes sense.

uktim29

It's got nothing to do with Vodofone.

Whats the link of the site, what did the small print say?

jasmineswhiskers

That's the whole point. All he did was connect to the internet - didn't even enter a site. Apparently because phones have no protection (firewalls etc) they can be accessed/hacked when online. The messages were about some sort of bidding or other. They said along the lines 'bidder 2 is winning' or 'bidder 1 has been outbid'.

Butlers1982

Ask them for the copy of his signature?

Searcher

I'm fnding it very difficult to believe that he's getting these messages simply because he went online briefly. I spend a lot of time online on my phone and have never had one piece of spam or a reverse charge text messages.

What I do get however is quite a bit of spam from a pemium rate adult text service but that is only because I texted the shortcode in the first place. (Without going into too much detail the company I work for is involved with premium rate SMS and texting the shortcode is somethig I have to do for testing purposes)

One of the first messages he got should have contained instructions on how to stop the messages and is usually nothing more complicated than texting the word STOP to the shortcode.

Just out of interest what was the shortcode he is getting the messages from?


*EDIT - I just realised the contradiction up there, what I mean is I have never had any unsolicited spam caused by going online. I know the origin of the spam messages I get and I know why I get them.

jasmineswhiskers

87199 was the number.
Apparently they sent message to cancel but as he thought it was spam never read it just deleted it.

Searcher

jasmineswhiskers wrote:

87199 was the number.
Apparently they sent message to cancel but as he thought it was spam never read it just deleted it.

I don't know that one so it isn't one of ours lol. If he hasnt done so already send the word STOP to deregister. Make sure it's only stop and nothing else though as its a keyword and is (or should be) a fully automatic removal system.

jasmineswhiskers

Sending stop didn't work. ICSTIS gave us the name of the company (Shetland Worldwide Services) and we rang them and cancelled it.

wantmemoney

This is what we know about the number you entered (87199).

We also have contact details for the company that provides this service. If you have any queries about it, please get in touch with them to find out more.

WIN (Wireless Information Network) Ltd
01494 750500
customerservices@winplc.com
1 Cliveden Office Village
Lancaster Road
High Wycombe
Buckinghamshire
HP12 3TD

http://www.icstis.org.uk/consumers/adjudications/default.asp?mode=1&serviceprovider=WIN+%28Wireless+Information+Network%29+plc&servicetype=&fine=0&submit=+search+
There have been 21 Icstis adjudications against WIN ltd and their "non-compliant" service providers within the last two years.

Considering "Shetland Worldwide Services" does it's business on-line it doesn't appear to google very well.

pulliptears

Pet teenager (14) did this last year, but he only recieved the messages after he had applied for a free screensaver of some half naked woman (Yes, I teased him for weeks. Im quite sure I put him off !!!!!! for life hehe).

Eventually we did manage to get it stopped. As far as I know your mobile number isnt visable when you are surfing online as you are working through a WAP network. The only way the company would have got the number is if it was given to them, or if a ringtone/wallpaper etc was requested.

blue_monkey_2

My sister had this as well, luckily she is ON PAYG and only realised when her credit ran out. She got a message that said it was from Orange asking her to mtext for her free credit so she did (thinking it was her month allownace she was entitled to) and off we go - the texts started. She managed to get about £2 back from Orange but glad she is on PAYG as she was getting one a day and they were things like 'we know who fancies you' etc... and she was just deleting them.