test

[MikeGW]

Hi, I had a texxt from an unknown number / organiation " FreeMsg: Thank you for Your freetrial of fitguru from Taptronic will end on 13/04/19. Then£3.00 per week until you text STOP to 64055. HELP? 03302231099"

I do not know of the organisation, I GOOGLED the number 64055 and it appears there are others as concerned as I am. General consensus is they are contacting random numbers, if yoy respond they know its a live number.

I do not want to make any payments of £3.00 / week and do not know what I should do to ensure this is the case.

Any help or advice welcome.

Mike

[gmarkj · Accepted solution]

First reply to the message with Stop.
Second keep checking your bill/balance to see if you have been charged.
Third (only if you are a pay monthly) is to ask o2 to place a bar on this type of thing on your account. This will mean that even if you are subject to a scam in the future (and these are just that) then you won't be charged.
Further information about these can be found below:
https://community.o2.co.uk/t5/How-to-Guides/Have-you-fallen-for-or-been-conned-into-a-premium-rate-s...
https://www.o2.co.uk/charge-to-mobile
https://payforitsucks.co.uk/o2-payforit-faq/
https://payforitsucks.co.uk/phone-paid-services-authority-consultation-on-subscription-services/
There is also a petition on the forum asking o2 to review how people can sign up to these services - well worth sticking your name on it:
https://community.o2.co.uk/t5/Discussions-and-Feedback/Premium-rate-services-petition-to-O2/td-p/118...

[EmilieT]

Good morning @MikeGW, did you get a chance to read through al the helpful links above over the weekend? 

If you have any additional questions, please let us know, and welcome to the Community! 

[Payforit_Sucks]

@gmarkj @MikeGW 

The regulator (PSA) has fined Taptronic £1,250,000 in respect of the Fitguru "service" (but it is unlikely ever to be paid!). Taptronic have also been ordered to issue refunds, so if you failed to obtain a refund you should now try again. If there was any justice, O2 should also have faced a fine for their continued participation in the scam, but PSA lack the power to sanction the MNOs. O2 will have taken at least 20% of the fraudulent "subscriptions", but will face no action and will be allowed to keep their ill-gotten gains!

The regulator discovered that malware was responsible for many of the fraudulent subscriptions. Indeed, one of their test phones became "subscribed" while locked and idle!

 O2's continued involvement in this scam for years after it was first brought to their attention is disgraceful. https://psauthority.org.uk/for-business/adjudications/2021/9/taptronic-fzc-152741-track-2-500d1951-c...