Mobile Fraud Advice

Introduction to Mobile Fraud Advice

Mobile phone fraud has become prominant news over recent years after a multitude of premium rate text services have used unclear advertising and malicious means to get mobile phone owners to sign up to everything from ringtones and games to chat services. A lot of users who sign up for these do not realise they are signing up for a service and are shocked to see huge charges on their phone bill.

While some people merely make a mistake when signing upto a mobile phone service there are plenty of cases where people have been misled, misinformed, or even shielded from the cost of what they are about to do This is not only unethical but also illegal, and if this has happened to you it is possible to seek legal recourse for a refund for your mobile phone bill.

This site has been set up to help thouse who have suffered from mobile phone fraud around the world, with advice on how to seek compensation and aid.

Monday 15 September 2008

Can I Get my Money Back from Premium Rate Phone Companies?

If you have had a premium rate bill appear on your mobile phone you will undoubtedly be questioning why it is there. Premium rate texts are often misused and are regularly sent to people who did not request or want the premium rate services.

To get money back from premium rate services you need to be absolutely certain that

a) You did not accidentally sign up to the service
b) The service (If you signed up to it) mentioned in clearly visible text how much you woud be charged
c) You have sent a text back to the number saying STOP or STOP ALL as soon as you realised
d) You have filled a fraud request with the phone company.
e) You have not used the services (Ie downloaded the offered games/ringtones/music)

Normally you will get an e-mail back either proving that you signed upto the service, or arguing that you will not get a refund, the only way to get around this is to be PERSISTENT. The premium rate mobile phone companies make the majority of their money from deception, so their staff are constantly fending off calls asking for refunds.

Keep asking, keep whittling down their rebuttals and eventually you should be able to apply for a refund.

If you are having too much trouble you can always report the company as fraudulent and if the value is high enough claim a small claims court judgement against the company!

Monday 14 April 2008

What to do About Mobile Phone Fraud in the UK

I live in the UK and have received premium rate texts I did not ask for, what should I do?

In the UK there is currently a government regulated industry body called Phone Pay Plus (http://www.phonepayplus.org.uk) This was formerly called ICSTIS but was renamed in 2007 as it rebranded itself for the emerging telecommunications market.

This should be the first port of call for checking up on premium rate text services. If you go onto their website they have a number checking service (http://www.phonepayplus.org.uk/numberchecker/) that will allow you to see details behind who operated this, including contact details and services provided.

If you ring the contact number you should find yourself talking to the companies customer support section, in most cases this department will be able to bring up a transcript of texts and be able to tell you how you signed up for the service. If they have no record of this in most cases you CAN reclaim a refund and if you are certain you did not request this you should lodge a complaint on the Phone Pay Plus website.