Premium Mobile Services Barring?

[Davo]

What's this business where Telstra sends me a text and says that I can bar premium SMS services? Have people been signed up for something without them actually signing up, and then charged for it? Or, in other words, can some crook get a hold of a mobile number and then start scamming money out of it under the pretext that they are providing a "service"?

[THE BOOGER]

premium sms is a opt out service so you usally have it from the go and have to cancel if you dont want it. Its the sms service you see advertised late at night by women in lingerie:D And yes they are all scams, apparently you are charged for both incoming and out going sms:eek:

[Davo]

It's really confusing, as it sounds like someone can get your number and just start charging. And it also sounds like any phone company may well just say that they're only the provider, and that you have to sort out the charges with the scammers. Very odd.

[THE BOOGER]

Yeh thats what the phone company will say they dont even know what content is down loaded we had a problem with a business phone over $700 in one month and they directed us to the premium service provider we have now cancelled the service with all phones, and the fellow who had the phone has a new job else where;)

[Sue]

They have 'clever and devious' way's of signing you up for services like this.. my partner received a text message that simply said 'Hi how are you?'.. he didn't recognise the number so he replied asking who it was.. apparently the fact that he replied was enough to 'sign him up' for barrages of similar texts leading to a huge bill at the end of the month as he was billed per text he received .. :(

It took a lot of complaining to get some of the money wiped from the bill.. so needless to say that any unrecognised numbers on texts don't get a reply in this house anymore.. :)

[mojo]

Premium SMS is not an "opt out" service, it's "opt in" - you should never receive a Premium SMS unless you have somehow signed up for the service.

And yes, you can get billed for both incoming and outgoing premium SMS, some of them are very expensive ($5 per SMS or more).

If you're receiving Premium SMS and don't believe you ever signed up for the service, take it up with your mobile provider, and if necessary the Premium SMS provider. If all else fails, contact the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO).

[THE BOOGER]

Yes, you only have to send a text to one of their numbers and you are in, but you can stop anyone who has the phone by opting out of all premium services:)

[Davo]

Thankfully, I haven't had any trouble yet. I'm just completely amazed at how many ways we've invented to screw each other out of money. And all I'd like is simply a phone that's just a bloody phone!!!