Text Scam 63366

heleng9

Hi, apologies for the length of this message. Does anyone know where I can take this complaint to? I submitted a complaint to the Ombudsans, but they don't deal with this kind of complaint.

In November 2018 I started a business mobile contract with O2. My major mistake was not logging on to my O2 a/c each month to check my itemised billing. When I did eventually check in November 2020, I noticed that I had been charged from week one of my contract a charge of £3.75 every Wednesday at 2.59pm from a TEXT 63366. This has resulted in a cost of £517.60 +VAT. I am a one man band, this is a lot of money to me.

I contacted O2, they said it's a third party charge and nothing to do with them. The text 63366 came from a company called TELCOSUPPORT. I emailed a complaint and received a very generic reply from a company called SB7 MOBILE LTD. This is their reply - 

We have checked our records and can see that you have purchased our PrizeFun service an online competition to win £500 worth of gift cards and entry into a £250,000 draw. This service was purchased via direct carrier billing and charged to your mobile phone account.

Please see a brief explanation of how and when this entry occurred :

• This number was entered into online competition service. This is a subscription competition service at £4.50 per week.

• Following the online entry, a message containing a unique 4 digit PIN number was sent to the phone and the promotion page changed to reflect that the entrant was being asked to enter this online to confirm entry and verify that they are the bill payer for the mobile number that had been submitted to this service.

• The PIN number “xxxx” was entered, which validated the entry and provided confirmation of the subscription.

*PinChecker is a secure solution which has been successfully penetration tested in accordance with globally recognised Crest Accreditation standards’

The following two free text messages were then sent:

• FreeMsg: PrizeFun.com FreeMsg: Thanks for joining our Weekly Gift Cards Comp+?250k draw, ur numbers are: xx,xx,xx,xx,xx,xx & Consumer Contract: the text contains a link for consumer contract

• FreeMsg: U have joined a PrizeFun.com Gift Cards competition for £4.50 per week until you send STOP to 61455. Help? 03301340183.

The first message confirms the contract that was entered into and providing a link to the same, the weekly cost, how to stop/unsubscribe and how to contact us. Both messages have been confirmed delivered by your network provider.

The above mentioned online promotion, where the mobile number was entered, featured prominent information advising of the weekly cost, how to stop/unsubscribe and how to contact us. We have also sent a free text message containing this information immediately after the entry was confirmed, and every 28 days throughout the period of subscription. This phone has therefore received numerous messages relating to this competition throughout the subscription period, in addition to the cost information displayed on the promotion before the details were entered as well as the charges appearing on the monthly phone bill.

How the hell does this happen? The charge wasn't £4.50. I didn't receive these texts and I'm at a lost of what to do. Since cancelling this my partner has received a couple of these texts!

My phone has no history of this 63366 when I search for texts previously sent.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

[Deleted User]

These are nasty companies, I know a few people caught out by these without realising.

Some good general advice here:

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/mobiles/stop-spam-texts/

Hard to say how it happened, I don't trust these companies even when they say you have authorised these messages but sometimes you can end up doing it without realising because the small print is so well concealed you may not have realised at the time.

1. Check you haven't blocked these numbers, it is possible that you blocked the premium rate messages which isn't the right way to go about it because you can still get charged, instead you must opt out / unsubscribe. Unblock them if you have so you can opt out.
   
   
2. Opt out or unsubscribe for all of these messages as soon as you or your partner receives them.
   
   
3. Also send an email to that company expressing you wishes to totally unsubscribe from them with some stern words, maybe even request right to be forgotten under GDPR.
   
   
4. As for getting money back, hard to say, I don't know if anybody has any success in that in the past.
   
   
5. Don't wait 2 years to check your bill (sorry to say that one but apply this to all invoices, especially as a business and there are so many scams related to this at the moment)
   
   
   

Finally and easy one to solve - the £3.75 + VAT = £4.50 which is where the difference in costs has occurred, again sneaky them quoting the non-VAT cost but it will be in the small print somewhere.

heleng9

Thank you so much for your reply. I know I should of checked my bills. I could kick myself. I’ve just read the link to the PSA but they don’t deal with getting you a refund. It’s so frustrating, I don’t know where to turn 

heleng9

Just in case anyone searches this company. I got all my money back. It can be done. Message me if you would like the info