Scam J1 Media please be aware

[Stein-o-mite]

Hello

Recently I noticed I was being charged £4.50 per week on my O2 bill by a “company” that call themselves ‘J1 Media’. After googling them and finding not much info other than threads on forums of people warning of this said scam. I spoke to o2 help online chat and they could see it was a scam, basically from pop-ups on the internet. I hadn’t clicked anything or more importantly not entered any of my details to anything. I was given various blocked or dead numbers to call and an e mail. On emailing I was put into contact with a David Flood who I found is listed on HMRC as “director” of J1 Media so when I saw this I was 100% convinced this was bogus! After him denying me a refund I called him out and now he has backtracked.

Has anyone else had this? O2 are very aware of this scam and on looking on the internet, I can summise that this company has a few pseudonyms to hide under.

[J1MediaSCAM]

He's defending the claim and has filed a defence!!! I am gobsmacked. The front of him! O2 are the real criminals here letting this fraudster use their platform to rob their clients!

[Payforit_Sucks]

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@J1MediaSCAM wrote:

He's defending the claim and has filed a defence!!! I am gobsmacked. The front of him! O2 are the real criminals here letting this fraudster use their platform to rob their clients!

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@J1MediaSCAM Hmm. Your not alone in having your claim defended. There are currently two other cases I am aware of where a defence has been filed.

The essence of the defence in these cases is that it is all O2's fault!! J1Media are saying that the contract was with O2 and not with them. I guess the defence is similar in your case.

Fortunately the Payforit rules are crystal clear on this - the contract is between the consumer and the "service provider". It is for J1Media to prove the claimants consented to the charges.

Sadly in both the other cases there a breaches of the Civil Procedure Rules (essentially the claims were started without first sending a letter before action). There is a risk that J1Media will seek to take advantage of this.

Have the correct procedures been followed in your case? Has the court suggested ADR?

Good luck with your claim. Keep us informed of progress. Further help and advice is available via the Payforitsucks website.

[Payforit_Sucks]

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@J1MediaSCAM wrote:

He's defending the claim and has filed a defence!!! I am gobsmacked. The front of him! O2 are the real criminals here letting this fraudster use their platform to rob their clients!

@J1MediaSCAMyou are not the only person taking legal action against J1Media. There was a case highlghted in the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2019/jul/20/i-turned-detective-to-lift-the-lid-on-mystery-mobile-p....

Are you able to post a copy of the defence filed by J1Media (obviously with personal details redacted)?

I'd like to look at joining forces to achieve a favourable resolution of these cases. 

The gist of the defence filed in the other cases is:

1. The Particulars of Claim have been incorrectly served on the Defendant. The Particulars of Claim should have been addressed to the claimant’s Mobile Phone Service Provider and not the Defendant.
2. The Products operated by the Defendant are regulated by the Phone-paid Services Authority (‘Phone-Paid Services Authority”), operating under the remit of Ofcom. The Defendant’s Phone-Paid Services Authority organisation registration number is ORG832-37209-34551. ‘Particulars of Claim’ should have been addressed to this dedicated regulatory authority and not a County Court. 
3. The Defendant has no contractual relationship with the Claimant. The Defendant does not know this individual. The defendant simply provides content on behalf of the UK Mobile Phone Service Providers. Any payments that have been taken have been done so by the Defendant’s Mobile Phone Service Provider.

All these assertions conflict with information provided by O2 and by the regulator (PSA) and I believe that it would be useful to get a clear ruling on these issues.

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[Payforit_Sucks]

We'd like to hear from anyone with an outstanding claim against J1 Media, as there is now a chance of getting refunds paid. If this is you, please get in touch with us through the website.   https://psconsumers.org.uk/contact/