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Multiple Texts Off 84222 number just now?

Penny7
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I have received multiple text messages off a 84222 number that states it is a Friday lockdown offer. The usual text STOP to unsubscribe or visit link for whatever. I’ve not replied to it, I’ve just blocked the number via my phone, but will I be charged for even receiving the texts?? Thanks in advance 🙂
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bouncealong313
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I just looked up the number on the PSA service checker (https://psauthority.org.uk/for-consumers/service-checker) and I definitely have never heard of them and never subscribed or taken part in their supposed service at all. The PSA website indicates you have to try and fight for a refund from the company themselves and then if no luck, report it or the PSA and they take a look at the company but don't guarantee any individual refunds? So... a shockingly unsecure service provided through phone providers where businesses and scam artists can freely fraudulently scam people simply by sending messages has no safety net from the actual phone providers?! (From how the PSA site reads)

MI5 I'm sorry but "there are systems in place"...? There obviously aren't! I didn't "confirm" anything at all about these texts or charges to these scammers or to O2 and still got screwed!
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bouncealong313
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The texts I received said:

"f (b) fri lockdown offer goto www.freebee.eu/claim enter code COFFEE be sure to claim by 4PM 27/09 Unsubscribe? Txt FREEB STOP 84222 or call 02032913904"

Just absolute nonsense, it doesn't even say what the "offer" is for in the message so it's clearly a scam to get you to go to the website to phish more of your details and also to get as much money out of you as possible in the meanwhile.

Also reported one of the messages to 7726 right after it happened. Wasn't any point forwarding more than one message because the forwarding doesn't let you actually forward the message itself with any timestamp, just the contents.

Tried calling the scam company's "customer service" number, just got an automated message saying it was closed and to leave name and details if you want to unsubscribe - to something I never subscribed to in the first place, yeah right like I'm going to leave you even more of my details when you have already stolen my phone number from somewhere. Was extremely hesitant to even call them because as they're clearly a scam they just end up finding out who has an active account to target again from the list of numbers they get incoming calls from. Extremely hesitant to email them for the same reason - it just allows them to collect active email addresses and more data on you to then use in further scams and phishing attempts. This is all why there should be intervention from phone providers in all of this, to make sure victims are protected from further exposing themselves and retaliation scams.

Can't remember if this falls under Direct Carrier Billing of PSD2, might have to find that out later in the morning if O2 refuse to do anything about it at first.
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Rockinghorse
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I got multiple texts last night even after stopping message and blocking number and now have a £109 bill. Unimpressed
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madasaf1sh
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THis sounds like someone uploaded a file on Friday night knowing no one can do anything about it, which is absolutely scandalous.

I would also follow the advice from Ofcom and report them to the ICO

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/problems/tackling-nuisanc...

Also ensure you are registered with the TPS

@bouncealong as Ofcom publish publicly every dialling code, most of these companies go into excel (at its simplest) paste from 000001 to 999999 for each dialing code, upload it to as sms provider and click send, its as simple as that.. and at 2- 10p per text sent its a good return on investment.

The company that sent this have been fined £100K in the past for breaches by the Regulator.

I hope o2 can do something along with the other 4 MNO's to close down this company once and for all... Unfortunately i have a feeling this company uses a 3rd party rather than a direct connection into o2 (or the other networks).

 

@Payforit_Sucks (Paul), any additional advice you can give?

 

(edited to add more info)

- Xperia 1V - o2 and Spusu
- Pixel 8 Pro - o2 and Vodafone UK
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Pragmatist
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This happened to me as well - I’ve put in a message to o2 customer service and am awaiting a call back.
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Cleoriff
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@Pragmatist @Penny7 @Rockinghorse @bouncealong313 

To avoid this happening in future, call O2 and have them place the following 2 bars on your account

Bar all to Direct Bill Debits (Charge to Mobile)

Bar Premium rate numbers.

All numbers for O2 are in this guide Guide: Coronavirus Community Help and Support

@Payforit_Sucks  have you seen these since you last posted?

Can you offer further advice please?

Veritas Numquam Perit

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Penny7
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Yep, woken up to a £105 amount on my extra charges. Absolutely disgusting!! If I hadn’t have had my phone in my hands then god knows what it would have been.
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bouncealong313
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@Cleoriff I already registered with the TPS a long time ago, doesn't seem to have done anything to prevent this (although in fairness it's probably prevented other stuff). Already reported it to the ICO and O2 (7226) yesterday immediately after it happened.

 

I just got off the phone with O2 about it as their lines opened at 8. They've said they're raising an investigation and I'll get the outcome in seven days but from their side of things with these scams they tend to believe there is a link between the (my) phone number and the company somewhere that justifies having charged the account - and don't take any responsibility at all for anything that happens inbetween or attempting to prevent it. Imagine a company hosting one of the most important services you use in life in 2020 saying they have no interest in preventing fraud and just let charges through.

 

I also asked for anything related to premium rates and anything related to direct carrier billing to be blocked from my account and they didn't seem keen on doing it at first. I managed to get out of them by the end of the call that apparently they've blocked premium rates from charging my account in future but they seemed hesitant to getting to that stage or acknowledging it. I had to go round in circles being told that because I have an "old tariff" (it's probably three, maybe four years old?) that I didn't have any protection on my account against this, which is just ridiculous. Protection (spend limits at the very least) should be a flatline basic for every consumer but I was told my account wasn't "eligible" for such protection just because of the age of my tariff. It's not like it's a 20 year old tariff made for landline phones! And why aren't people even warned about not having any protection? Banks and credit card companies don't make you sign up to entirely new accounts when they release new baseline protections for consumer rights - they integrate them into existing accounts (yes they may replace your card, but they don't change your account for baseline consumer protections). I've had the same bank and phone accounts for almost 20 years and never once have I had to change my bank account just to be protected from obvious fraud.

 

I mean being sent and charged for exactly the same text over 100 times within seconds of each other should be an absolute red flag to ANY business that something dodgy is going on and they should have automated systems that block it - if it was a legitimate service, it would not be sending exactly the same text multiple times and no legitimate business has any need to be sending that many texts, that quickly, especially when direct carrier billing can be used for charging larger sums to phone accounts these days instead of charging by text. But it seems like there was no system in place to detect or block this kind of behaviour. It just seems bizarre to me that there's no protection.

 

It honestly scared the **** out of me that something like this is even possible as a scam. I know fraud happens through banking/financial services all the time but at least in that there are regulations in place that involve the banks (to a degree) and they're obliged to do something about it. From everything I've experienced and read in the last 12 hours, it seems like phone companies don't like getting involved and rarely do much to help people. It's not the fact that the scam is possible that scares me, it's the disinterest in protecting consumers (victims) that scares me.

 

I have zero trust in the scam company ever putting things right so just fingers crossed for the O2 investigation.

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Cleoriff
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@bouncealong313 

O2 can NOT refuse to put a bar on Charge to mobile or Premium rate numbers, if these are requested.

I have never heard of anyone having a problem with this request before.

Outrageous.!!

Guide: Tips to avoid unexpected charges on your bill 

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bouncealong313
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If anyone else has any problems getting O2 to bar premium texts, I did also threaten to close my Pay Monthly account and move to PayAsYouGo (because that way, I just wouldn't top up the SIM until I absolutely needed to so it'd be impossible for these scams to take as much of your money as they wanted) and after that they seemed to be more receptive to barring the texts in future. So maybe try that if you need to.

 

For a while it honestly felt like I was being told - reading between the lines - that I'd have to pay up to take out a new tariff just to get any kind of protection from this happening again in the future.

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