@Highlander9 wrote:
Hi
I`ve just noticed there is around £15 added onto my bill every month under Premium and Information Services. On investigation i found it was a company called Opera Telecom LTD and a scam. They are taking the money in dribs and drabs £1.25 at a time.
It started when i renewed my contract / phone last november.
Can any one tell me how i can stop the money coming out and maybe even get my money back?
@Highlander9
Were these premium texts arising from 87070?
The O2 number checker incorrectly has this number listed as Opera Telecom Ltd. It isn't. actually, the number is a "shared shortcode" operated by a company called Oxygen8.
Oxygen8 Communications Limited,
12th Floor, Lyndon House,
58 – 62 Hagley Road,
Birmingham,
B16 8PE,
Email: customercare.uk<at>oxygen8.com Tel: 0808 206 0808
One of the "services"using this number was a scam called Grocery Offer Alerts, operated by a Cypriot company called Mekersia
Mekersia Limited
Navarinou 6, Flat 101
Engomi
2416
Cyprus
Tel 01451604444
Email: support@mekersia.com
We investigated this service and discovered that they were using a vulnerability in the system which allowed any valid number to be "subscribed" to the service by fraudsters.
The video below, in which we subscribed a phone to this service without it even being turned on is shown below.
The obvious vulnerability is that the PIN number, which should have been sent by text to the phone, was displayed on the signup screen.
When we discovered this fraud, we notified the regulator (the Phone-paid Services Authority) Oxygen8 Ltd (the level 1 supplier responsible for the service), Mekersia Ltd (the service provider) and Square 1 Ltd (who operated the PIN verification for the service). Although none of these had the courtesy to reply, the exploit was removed at about 8:00 pm on 29th March.
There have been many complaints about this "service", and there is evidence that some of the numbers fraudulently "subscribed" were harvested from Gumtree advertisements.
https://who-called.co.uk/Number/87070
Assuming that this is the service responsible for your charges, contact Mekersia to insist on a full refund. You should alo complain to the regulator.
At a time like this, O2 should be ashamed that they are continuing to facilitate and profit from these scams.
