SCAM gets thru block

[Mi-Amigo]

After falling victim to one of the scam message, I took the advise from members of the Community and contacted 02 Customer Services, who put a bar on all direct to Bill debits and bar Premium Rates....

However, today, purely by chance I checked my message in-box and found:

65065 -  Freemsg: Lorena Medienagen fur - free trial ends [date] then £4.50 per week, unless STOP to 65065.

Given the date of message and when I saw it, there is a chance that I could be billed for one week.

I sent STOP to 65065 and got an instant retur msg:

STOP Payforit Freemsg subscription to Metro Games ended. Help: 0207 369915.

I have never subscribed [or linked] to Metro Games and/or Lorena Medienagen.

How did this get through the supposed blocks which is meant to be in place on my 02 account?

This is worrying and highlights the need for 02 to drop their "trusted partners" and the scams.

[MI5]

Well as it doesn't work, maybe we shouldn't ?

[Cleoriff]

It hasn't worked for @Mi-Amigo ...I haven't heard of anyone else it has failed?.

That being so, I will discuss it with @Marjo  before publishing the guide.

I don't think anyone else is in a position to make the decision whether we should be including it or not.

[TallTrees]

I use your guide @Cleoriff  because I think it is good.

I too did not realise that Payforit wasn't covered by these bars.

However, I think I can understand why ~ as I have done a bit

of "reading up" about Payforit.

This will be a very good time to make sure that in your Guide

this "anomaly" is highlighted ~

Thanks "cleo"   

It all boils down to the way our accounts can be raided by the simpliest of 

mistakes and it is shameful. 

[MI5]

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@Cleoriff wrote:

It hasn't worked for @Mi-Amigo ...I haven't heard of anyone else it has failed?.

That being so, I will discuss it with @Marjo  before publishing the guide.

I don't think anyone else is in a position to make the decision whether we should be including it or not.

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You only have to read the responses I published in the petition thread to see that either o2 don't or don't want to understand payforit. 

It's clear to me and I won't reply to threads with non truths.

[Cleoriff]

@TallTrees 

The guide as seen currently on the forum was just for discussion. It was always intended that I would take all the suggestions and create a full guide.

I am currently in the process of doing that.

As for the info on Bar All to Direct Bill Debits. This needs clarification by our Managers.

I would also suggest that asking for these to be applied to your account, doesn't mean they have been.

A further check with customer services should clarify whether they have been applied. .

[Mi-Amigo]

Thanks guys.

To recap when I got scammed, I came onto the Community and posted about it and got a response from @Bambino with links to payforit sucks and advise on contacting 02 to get the blocks put in place, which I did and appeared to work since February until this.

In all my time I have been a member of the Community, I do not recall any post, no just in reply to me, but to others who have been scammed, that the 02 blocks will not prevent any customer from falling victim to the scammers.

[MI5]

Direct to bill aka charge to mobile is a facility to buy items which get added to your phone bill and requires full customer approval in a 2 step verification process for any amount.

Premium rate services are when a customer wants to call an 09 number or text a competition shortcode etc. Again it requires full control by the customer.

Payforit does not currently require any verification for charges below £3.99 less vat or £4.50 inc vat  (which is why these chages are always less than that) as they slip through without the mandatory Ofcom verification for higher payforit charges.

EE have introduced 2 step verification for payforit for any amount.

Vodafone have a setting in your MyVodafone to block payforit charges entirely.

O2 do nothing except take 30% of the money scammed out of customers.

Decide for yourselves what works.......

[Cleoriff]

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@Mi-Amigo wrote:

Thanks guys.

To recap when I got scammed, I came onto the Community and posted about it and got a response from @Bambino with links to payforit sucks and advise on contacting 02 to get the blocks put in place, which I did and appeared to work since February until this.

In all my time I have been a member of the Community, I do not recall any post, no just in reply to me, but to others who have been scammed, that the 02 blocks will not prevent any customer from falling victim to the scammers.

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Well they appear not to have worked for you @Mi-Amigo , I'm not disputing that.

However, as this is an O2 forum and we make guides for O2 only, I have to use the information as given to us by O2.

I have put the guide on hold (in the draft room) whilst I seek clarification from @Marjo as to the integrity of the information she provided.

I am also aware that the person who works tirelessly to stop these scammers is @Payforit_Sucks and his website has been included in the draft of the guide (which isn't available yet to anyone on the forum)

We had the discussions in February....the guide will be available for all to see when I finish and post it.

[TallTrees]

Hello @Cleoriff 

When I first joined I was advised by the Community to put these Bars on.  When talking to C.S. I asked if they would confirm to me they had been applied and they "said" they would send a confirmation text.

NEVER arrived I mentioned this on my post.  So as of today I have no idea whether they are applied or not.

I did say that it would be very helpful if these requests were shown on the my Account information.

As you say All this needs clarification by our Managers without doubt.

I understand having read your guide that you were asking for suggestions to create a full guide ~ I hope you can get this completed @Cleoriff   I read interesting facts re Payforit I will gather that

and send you a message ~ this could "possibly" be including as an understanding about this Company and scams happen.

Best wishes TallTrees

[Cleoriff]

I've been working on it this morning in the Draft room @TallTrees 

There are many other things beside Payforit scams to include in the guide.

I'm pleased you picked up on the comment I made last night, ie people ask for these bars to be applied, CS may tell you they have done it, but how can we make sure they actually have?

If I was @Mi-Amigo  I would be contacting customer services and asking if these bars have been applied to his account as he requested.