topic Re: Mystery SMS "charges when abroad" in Pay Monthly

Mystery SMS "charges when abroad"

Quackduck — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 09:03:17 GMT

According to my Pay Monthly bill this month I've been charged extra for 5 (so far!) SMS messages to the following number while abroad: 07860 019210

I don't recognise the number, I have not sent any SMS while I've been away, and I have no record on my phone of having sent these messages.

A quick Google of the number suggests it's either a scam, or it's related to O2 somehow, as other O2 customers have experienced the same while abroad. I am using an eSIM for mobile data since the O2 plan was too expensive.

Does this ring any bells for anyone?

I've been trying to get hold of someone at O2 customer service for the past 24h but no luck. I'd just like to understand what I'm being charged for, or whether it's a scam. (Blocking the number won't help since my O2 bill claims I sent the messages myself.)

Re: Mystery SMS "charges when abroad"

Cleoriff — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 10:59:15 GMT

@Quackduck

That number appears to be linked to a holiday text scam

https://www.unknownphone.com/phone/07860019210

We're just customers like you but it sounds as if you need someone to access your account which can't be done from here

Give O2 a call on 202 or 0344 809 202 (Contract) 4445 or 0344 809 222 (PAYG)

Or you can message O2 on social media on Instagram https://o2uk.co/O2CIG), Facebook ( https://o2uk.co/O2CFB) , Twitter ( https://o2uk.co/O2CTW).

Re: Mystery SMS "charges when abroad"

MI5 — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 13:04:44 GMT

Most likely cause is an app sending a handshake to its server.

Apps such as iMessage, WhatsApp etc do this silently and come from allowances when in the UK so are not noticed on bills.

Re: Mystery SMS "charges when abroad"

Quackduck — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 22:04:28 GMT

Thank you, I've now reduced my spend cap to £0 so hopefully won't be affected by any more of these. Maybe some apps won't work right but I'd rather that than run up a large bill! I'm mentioning this as it could be useful info for anyone looking this up in future. Cheers.

Re: Mystery SMS "charges when abroad"

Quackduck — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 22:05:59 GMT

Thank you, I had noticed that website too which had me worried. I haven't been able to get through to O2 and haven't confirmed if it's a scam or just apps doing a server handshake, but reducing my spend cap to £0 seems to have curbed this for the past few days. I'll update the thread if I discover more.

Re: Mystery SMS "charges when abroad"

Oxonian — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 18:42:41 GMT

@Quackduck

I don't think you will hear anything else. They will soon move on to their next "victim". They had a few quid out of you but now will target others.

Re: Mystery SMS "charges when abroad"

Enlli — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 19:48:18 GMT

@Quackduck Bad news is spend Caps don't alwaus work when abroad

Re: Mystery SMS "charges when abroad"

MattyBur — Fri, 22 Dec 2023 12:28:37 GMT

I'm currently on holiday in Egypt and have so far incurred £2.00 on my bill for phantom texts to this very same number.

No record of sending or receiving texts associated with that number (07860 019210) on my phone at all and I've blocked the number, which has had no effect.

I don't have the option to limit spending cap on my account so I suppose I'll have to contact o2 and try to dispute the charges when I get home (which look likely to rise).

Did anyone get to the bottom of this, and if it is a scam, who benefits from it and how?

Re: Mystery SMS "charges when abroad"

Oxonian — Fri, 22 Dec 2023 18:13:37 GMT

@MattyBur

There are a couple of guides dealing with this sort of thing :-

This appears to be the only thread dealing with this particular scam, so no, I don't think anyone ever got to the bottom of it. @Cleoriff has provided details above as to how to contact O2.

When you do contact O2, please update this thread if any interesting or useful information emerges.

Re: Mystery SMS "charges when abroad"

MattyBur — Sat, 23 Dec 2023 11:29:33 GMT

Thanks Oxonian,

The various articles and help pages about scam texts or calls relate to instances where you might receive a text or call that asks you for personal info or tries to get you to sign up to something or whatever.

What we have here is a case of charges being applied to my bill relating to a number i don't know, have never called or texted and have never received a call or text from, so completely different.

I did try ' reaching out' to O2 on Twitter messaging, and it appears to be a bot, as it takes hours to reply between messages and then asks for info I've already given it, and I'm still awaiting a response from a few hours ago, so I think I'll give up on that.

I also tried their chat on Facebook Messenger, which is obviously a bot again and just (infuriatingly) directs you to their website's FAQs and ignores the actual thing you're asking it.

I'm up to 5 of these phantom SMS charges now, so will try to call O2 when I get home to dispute whatever total it has reached by then, but O2 Customer Services seem to be so awful, I don't hold out much hope!

Re: Mystery SMS "charges when abroad"

pgn — Sat, 23 Dec 2023 11:32:39 GMT

Twitter DMs to O2 are open, and, unlike Sainsbury's, is not a bot, in my experience, @MattyBur - but you do have to poke them a lot

https://community.o2.co.uk/t5/Other-Products-and-Services/O2-Web-Top-Up-not-recognising-a-valid-O2-PAYG-number/td-p/1615805

Re: Mystery SMS "charges when abroad"

MattyBur — Tue, 02 Jan 2024 13:35:06 GMT

UPDATE: So, in total, 5 of these bogus texts were charged to my bill, totalling £2.50, which is not a lot of money but I'm annoyed by the fact that they did it.

Trying to contact O2 on Twitter went nowhere and the 'chat' with them on FM Messenger has been very frustrating and slow.

You have to wait hours, if not days between replies and it tells me it's not a bot but an actual person, which I don't believe, as the way it words things and ignores what I have said or asked is very bot-like.

I explained the charges are erroneous and that I don't know the number and have no record of any texts to that number in my phone's SMS history or anything, and it just replied, several hours later, ignoring that and telling me that since I sent texts to a number from a non-EU country, the charges are valid. Totally ignored what I had said.

This is after endless, slow security questions and sending me codes etc.

Tried to explain again that I didn't send those texts and they don't exist in my SMS history, and even pointed them to this forum and the other page linking the number in question to a scam and the 'agent', several hours, days later, said they couldn't see these charges on my bill.

Explained AGAIN that it's in there as applying to my UPCOMING bill and and sent a screenshot of the app showing that...

Hours/days go by, and then the 'agent' says they'll have to wait till that bill is issued to see the charges.

New bill was issued yesterday and I sent another message about this, and agent wanted to ask me all the security questions again and send me a code and again, told me that because I had sent texts outside of my allowance for being in Egypt, the charges are valid.

Completely ignored everything I'd already explained up till then, again.

I explained it all again and it was ignored again, and the 'agent' even had the cheek to tell me that maybe 'someone in my family' borrowed my phone and sent the texts, and they are valid charges, which is ridiculous, and very insulting!

Anyway, O2 have graciously agreed to reimburse the £2.50 charged for these bogus texts, which is something, and I know it's only £2.50 so what am I getting so bothered about, but it's the principal of it that infuriates me - that O2 are charging fake text fees to customers' accounts, seemingly relying on customers not noticing, or not bothering to challenge it, as it's quite a small amount, and then if the customer does complain, hit them with a brick wall of non/bad comms and blame them for sending texts that they never did, never acknowledging anything said about it being bogus or fraudulent.

I showed the agent the link to this forum which discusses the very mobile number that I was wrongly charged texts to, and showed them the link to the lookup site that identifies that number as being involved in a scam, but that was ignored.

The only people who could benefit from that, as far as I can see, are O2 themselves, as I don't see how any 3rd party could gain monetarily from somehow faking texts to that number from my account (or even be able to do it), and it is O2 that I pay the bill to, so it does appear to be a fraud on the part of O2.

I know I shouldn't expend so much time and energy over a couple of quid, but I hate being ripped off and I hate being fobbed off by bad Customer Service too, so it really pushes my buttons!

Argh!

Re: Mystery SMS "charges when abroad"

Oxonian — Tue, 02 Jan 2024 19:38:33 GMT

@MattyBur

At least O2 have eventually agreed to re-imburse you. But it is all very strange ! 😌

Re: Mystery SMS "charges when abroad"

MattyBur — Tue, 02 Jan 2024 19:48:19 GMT

Yep, and the bot-agent has now sent me a link to their 'help' section about avoiding scam texts and calls, which is infuriating as they're once again ignoring the fact that I didn't receive any scam texts or calls - what I received were charges on my bill for texts I never sent.

Argh.

Re: Mystery SMS "charges when abroad"

Oxonian — Tue, 02 Jan 2024 20:19:13 GMT

@MattyBur

Not a lot one can say !

Re: Mystery SMS "charges when abroad"

Wil0901 — Sat, 06 Jan 2024 21:18:21 GMT

I have the same cases when I was in Hong Kong. They charged me £18 as they said I sent sms to the exactly the same number of your case (07860019210).

I spent 40 mins to finally get to talk to a human being and after another 40 mins discussion and being suspected that my friends or family used my phone to send sms to stranger or I sent without memory 🫠…., he finally helped me to log a complain with a case number.

I also pointed out that O2 community focus mentioned a number of people with such case for the same number.

finger cross they will pay me back the money.

Re: Mystery SMS "charges when abroad"

jonsie — Sat, 06 Jan 2024 21:49:11 GMT

07860019210 | Who Called Me from 07860 019210? (unknownphone.com)

Re: Mystery SMS "charges when abroad"

Emre1453 — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 18:18:42 GMT

I am having the same problem each time I travel to UAE. Who is stealing our money? O2 ANSWER!

Re: Mystery SMS "charges when abroad"

Emre1453 — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 18:20:15 GMT

The number is 100% the same.

07860 019210

Re: Mystery SMS "charges when abroad"

MI5 — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 18:23:15 GMT

@Emre1453 wrote:
I am having the same problem each time I travel to UAE. Who is stealing our money? O2 ANSWER!

@Emre1453

You'll need to ask O2 then if you want an answer from them.