Premium rate service scams take many forms, but they all have one objective: shaking down the consumer for as much money as possible.
You might receive a message saying you have won a lottery prize or that someone fancies you, or you might want to buy a new ringtone or wallpaper for your phone.
However, the call you make could result in massive phone charges. Worse, a single click of your mobile could see you signed up to “membership” of a “subscription service” which will take money from your call credit at regular intervals.
RegTel says it is investigating how one-click mobile phone technology is being abused by using it to trigger a subscription service when consumers are only seeking information.
RegTel says its investigations show that in most cases people have actually signed up for a service, even if they are not aware of it. It may be that another family member has accessed the service or that friends have borrowed the phone and subscribed the person as a joke.
More often, they simply didn’t understand the implications of pressing a button on their phone.
In other cases, consumers have found themselves signed up for expensive services completely inadvertently.
One man forgot to lock his phone before pocketing it and ended up with an expensive subscription after a button was accidentally pressed, activating a a banner ad on an internet page.
Let’s say you then discover the high costs you are incurring and seek to stop the drain on your resources. Texting STOP is supposed to work but with some rogue operators it doesn’t; the originating number may not be displayed or your instruction may be ignored.
It may take intervention by the regulator or other hardball tactics to stop receiving the service. Getting a refund is even harder, unless you are aged 18 or under.
PAUL CULLEN