Charged for a spam text message - what do I do?

thriftymanc

Sorry if this is on the wrong board - if it is, please move this or tell me where I should repost it.

This afternoon I received two text messages, both identical, from 78181:

"Shop at major retailers at www.prizedonkey.com and earn cashback, refer friends and earn more. Passcode XXXXX. For help call 0871 310 8340. 10p per Min."

(The passcode was random letters and numbers but I didn't want to put the one from the text in case just in case, no idea what it's for!)

I haven't responded to either but I've just checked my calls on the Virgin Mobile website and it says:

"Number: 700035342
Call Type: Text service received
£: £1.50"

WHAT?! This is honestly not anything I have signed up for. I do not give out my mobile phone number to anybody except for friends and family (i.e. I've not entered it when I've signed up to any spammy websites, I'm not that daft!).

I do not understand what's going on, and I'm not happy about being charged. Can anyone please explain to me, in very basic terms, how I go about getting my £1.50 back and how to stop these people from contacting me or taking money off me again?

And how exactly is this allowed? How can they just take my money for no reason? If someone walked up to me in the street and just took £1.50 from my pocket while I wasn't looking that would be theft so how is this any different?

Garetha

I had a similar thing and complained to the company concerned and was offered a refund after a few exchanges. I did a search on your number and found this:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=481389

Hope you get it resolved - don't let them get away with it!

char_student

thriftymanc wrote: »

Thanks for the link - still not sure exactly what to do though! I am rubbish at sorting out things like this, I never know what to say. I suppose my first stop will be to call Virgin and see what they say.

I'm still confused by why I've been sent the text in the first place. Reading that thread it appears that that particular person had been referred by a friend but I know for a fact none of my friends referred me. The company must just be generating random numbers. How this sort of thing hasn't been stopped already I really don't know.

I got one of these type texts a few months back and Vodafone were useless and said there was nothing they could do! They said I had to ring this number 0870...something, then tell them I want my money back. Basically its a real cheek but in reality the phone networks dont care less and I never did get my refund. Also, Vodafone did not believe me and they said I must have applied for something etc and that it was my fault!

Rogerb_2

T Mobile, like the rest of the networks, don't really want to get involved.

I threatened to write to their executive mgt and could prove I hadn't prompted them as a new number to me, and very first thing I got when switching on was 3 of these at £1.50.

They gave in and refunded the £4.50 to me and stopped anymore coming through I recall by texting STOP to the number,

Cannonwood

thriftymanc wrote: »

Sorry if this is on the wrong board - if it is, please move this or tell me where I should repost it.

This afternoon I received two text messages, both identical, from 78181:

"Shop at major retailers at www.prizedonkey.com and earn cashback, refer friends and earn more. Passcode XXXXX. For help call 0871 310 8340. 10p per Min."

(The passcode was random letters and numbers but I didn't want to put the one from the text in case just in case, no idea what it's for!)

I haven't responded to either but I've just checked my calls on the Virgin Mobile website and it says:

"Number: 700035342
Call Type: Text service received
£: £1.50"

WHAT?! This is honestly not anything I have signed up for. I do not give out my mobile phone number to anybody except for friends and family (i.e. I've not entered it when I've signed up to any spammy websites, I'm not that daft!).

I do not understand what's going on, and I'm not happy about being charged. Can anyone please explain to me, in very basic terms, how I go about getting my £1.50 back and how to stop these people from contacting me or taking money off me again?

And how exactly is this allowed? How can they just take my money for no reason? If someone walked up to me in the street and just took £1.50 from my pocket while I wasn't looking that would be theft so how is this any different?

I was spammed twice today before reading this and as directed have texted STOP in reply and received a free message back basically "This is a service cancellation...". Having checked the origin of https://www.prizedonkey.com using the premium number 78181, it is coming from a place called TanlaMobile. Their contact details are:
Tanla Mobile
5th Floor, 39 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0AR
Tel +44 (0)20 7494 5600
email address: sales@tanlamobile.com or support@tanlamobile.com or customercare@tanlamobile.com
My number was presumably harvested from https://www.gumtree.com because it started that same day I had to register there. I will be emailing them requesting a full refund or threaten to put their number/email addresses everywhere on the net they can be plastered.

Rick_Hough

I was charged £1.50 for a message that not only did I not ask for but I didn't even receive. It was supposed to have been sent 01/07/2007.

I contacted T-Mobile and they told me it was Tanla Mobile. NTL immediately refunded the £1.50 themselves and blocked all premium cost texts to both my phones.

I complained to Tanla and they ignored me - so I complained to ICSTIS.

People - check your bills carefully, and shout to ICSTIS. Take the time to register a complaint and maybe we can get Tanla shut down!:beer:

wantmemoney

Icstis "investigates" Tanla Mobile, fines Tanla Mobile and bars Tanla Mobile from operating the "service".
http://www.icstis.org.uk/consumers/adjudications/default.asp?mode=1&serviceprovider=Tanla+Mobile+Ltd&servicetype=&fine=0&submit=+search+
Tomorrow Tanla Mobile will be allowed to start ripping off the public with a different "service".

It's Icstis regulated theft and Tanla are not the worst offenders.
look at the disgraceful record of Dialogue Communications Ltd.
http://www.icstis.org.uk/consumers/adjudications/default.asp?mode=1&serviceprovider=Dialogue+Communications+Ltd&servicetype=&fine=0&submit=+search+
goto the Icstis web site and look at the record of Zamano and others.

here's a damning response that Icstis recently received concerning the premium rate industry and the way they regulate and protect it.
I suggest you all read it in full.

http://www.icstis.org.uk/pdfs_consult/GovCode_MW.pdf
1 For example: Dialogue Communications Ltd are currently sending unsolicited reverse charge SMS on short code 84010. Dialogue Communications Ltd are directing complainants to their client ---

---

[details removed by ICSTIS]. Content providers ---

---

are directing complainants to content providers Moby Magic. Moby Magic are directing complainants back to ---

---

.
2 One of the content providers responsible for a series of scams investigated by ICSTIS is known variously as:
"Watermead Investments Holdings Limited", "Goldeford Investments", "Bergholt Investments", "Gabriel Investments", "Liquid Capital", "Abinger Overseas Ltd". All these are aliases for Company No 655407, 3rd Floor, Omar Hodge Building, Wickhams Cay I, P.O.BOX 362, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands owned by Sonny Holmqvist, 2nd Floor, Barkly Wharf, Caudan, Port Louis, MU - although he is actually based in Marbella.

emily.2828

I just thought i would mention for anyone else that has this prob and the mobil providor does not refund you. You can go to ofcom that will investigate it for you and try get your money from hte person that sends the text message as i had this prob last year £17 i got back out of £23 so not bad considering

tigerminxy

I've just had a frustrating call with T-Mobile about exactly the same thing. The bloke in customer service just refused to even express any sympathy, even when I said, 'Can you understand how disappointed I am that I pay you a monthly charge and then as soon as I need you to look after me as a customer, you're telling me I have to sort this out myself?'