Help after being Scammed

[SMMOOOOO16]

Good Afternoon

Just thought I would share this with the community for awareness and maybe a potential solution as well.

Yesterday evening I was browsing the internet on my mobile and whilst browsing I was directed towards a pornographic website which appeared in a new window. The website prevented me from closing the page easily and several minutes later I received the following text message informing me I had been charged £18:00.

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I didn’t pay much attention to the text since I thought it was just a scam but this morning I checked my account and I had been charged £18.00 to which I must say I was a little surprised by and am still struggling to understand how simply by visiting a website unintentionally I could be charged £18.00!

I carried out a bit of research prior to calling customer services and found that this appears to be a scam, I have included a link below which provides some information

http://www.smswatchdog.com/text-message-from/02035405930?l

Having had a look into this I called through to O2 customer services I was speaking with Jade, after explaining the issue and my concerns she promptly hung up on me! Not a great start!

I subsequently called back and spoke to another member of the O2 customer services team and explained what happened. He advised me that there was nothing O2 could do in terms of the charges that had been made and I would need to contact the retailer directly to request a refund.

I then questioned him about what I could do to prevent my mobile from being charged further, he stated that the only options were that I be more careful with my browsing in future or alternatively I change my mobile number.

Given I didn’t intentionally browse to this site and changing my mobile number really would be a last resort, I have had my current number for over 10 years and use it for business I asked what preventative measures were in place to prevent customers from being exploited against known scams such as this.

I asked if scams such as this are known does O2 not query such transactions? the answer was no.

Is O2 able to put a block on my account preventing charges of this nature? the answer is no.

I find it quite unbelievable that there are no preventative measures in place to protect people from being charged in this way.

I compare the situation to me having a credit card, if there is any unusual activity on that credit card or if it looks as if it is being used for a known scam the credit card company will take preventative action to prevent the consumer from being exploited.

Currently I feel exceptionally vulnerable, I have been a victim of a scam, O2's advice is to contact the vendor/scammer directly to try to obtain a refund which I have attempted but as expected the phone number provided in the text message simply goes to an answerphone.

O2 is also stating that they do not have the ability to stop any further payments from this vendor which in all fairness I find astonishing and extremely concerning, potentially I could be liable for tens or hundreds of pounds worth of charges which I simply can do nothing about!

So is there a technical solution to prevent something like this happening in the future since O2 cant do anything to help me and reassure me, I’m still confused how going to a website they can obtain my phone number for instance, if I had Caller ID set to withhold would this prevent this?

Thanks

[Anonymous]

It's a personal decision.

If I was on a contract I certainly would be putting the bar on my account.

[MI5]

I will be doing all 4 of my accounts tomorrow - They seem to be able to get you any which way they want 😞

[jonsie]

They're gonna be busy tomorrow then...

[Anonymous]

Hello all,

Please excuse my writing as my first language is not English.

Like many on here I to have experienced being charged £30.00 for a service I never ordered. I was on Jan. 2th 2015 charged the mentioned fee for what I was informed by a very rude Eastern European lady 5 entries to enter a competition.

I found many, not only on this 02 forum but on EE and others with exact similar stories.

I have today contacted the Action Fraud department whom work on behalf of the police and reported SOC MAN. I Have also contacted Ofcom and Phonepayplus so registre a complaint as well.

Please let us all join against this company SOC MAN who is clearly scamming people everyday. They need to be stopped!!! Several sites I have been on today have forums dating back as far as 2007 so imagine how many people they have managed to scam over the years.

This can happen to ANYONE!!! As long as you have a mobile phone. To your friends and family members...!

Please contact Action Fraud on 03001232040 

Please refer to my reference number: 

NFRC150100897622

[MI5]

These companies are scum and the regulaters spineless when it comes to stopping them!

[jonsie]

Contacting the company via PayPhonePlus is sometimes the only way to gethe the 'service' stopped but it's unlikely you wil get reimbursed. These sharks prey on the unaware public android  make big money through these scams.

[Anonymous]

I have found that another customer has raised this to the Action Fraud squad. 

Please contact Action Fraud on 03001232040

Please refer to existing reference number:
NFRC150100897622

Though she did raise this in 2015, so not sure what the outcome is, but there is a case reference to refer to.

I am uploading everything to Twitter. O2 need to take responsibility here and stop this happening to their customers!

[Anonymous]

Socman Limited is registered to a chartered accountants and its 'Suite' address listed is actually a mail office shop! This just gets worse and worse!!!!

[PhoneChanger]

@Anonymous O2 have nothing to do with this, the issue lies with the regulators who allow these companies to get away with everything.

For some customers they will willingly sign up to these sorts of services, in which case O2 have to oblige.

The whole premium rate services system needs an overhaul, and that needs to come from the regulator, not the networks.

[jonsie]

My sentiments too @PhoneChanger