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Beware unsolicited premium rate texts

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Ramblingrose22 Sat 26-Sep-20 11:46:47

Last night I received over 40 unsolicited text messages in quick succession from a premium rate service I have never heard of. I blocked the number straight away.

This morning I found that I had been charged £8.33 excl VAT for having received these messages. I spoke to my mobile phone service provider who confirmed that I haven't accidentally subscribed to any premium rate services and are investigating. They told me that this morning another customer reported having received 146 such texts overnight last night. I have been assured that I won't be charged and I have been given a £10 credit on my account.

I have asked the provider to bar premium rate numbers and direct to bill debits from my account as I believe that this will stop any recurrence.

I urge others to always check their mobile phone bills for scams like this in case they have accidentally subscribed to a subscription service or been scammed in a similar way.

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WOODMOUSE49 Sat 26-Sep-20 11:54:25

Had to look up what these are. This is from www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/im-being-charged-for-unwanted-premium-rate-text-messages

"Also known as 'reverse billed' messages, premium rate text (SMS) messages come from four, five or six-digit numbers and are normally for subscription services such as games or weather updates.

The texts generally cost about £1.50 each for which you might not realise you're being charged, and can mean you end up with a shockingly high phone bill.

SMS text messages of this kind can only be sent out if you sign up to the service.

There are several scenarios where you should check the small print before you sign up to a text service, so you know exactly what it will cost"

The WHICH link shows how to prevent/stop them.

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