being charged for premium services on my mobile broadband

[caspergriswold]

Hi, have spoken to the guru's but i was hoping someone could give me some more details before i talk to fraud tomorrow and the person couldn't really give me much help

I checked my mobile broadband today and have been charged by two companies for about 20 pounds. These companies are payforit and Net real solutions.  for premium calls and games. She seemed to think that clicking on pop-ups will automatically get these charged to you which sound very iffy seeing i would have thought you would have to press accept or put in some details. At the end of the day i don't play games at all. I'm on a laptop, not a phone and i don't actually know my o2 broadband number until i checked it tonight. I would never give out my broadband number because i don't know it and id give out my mobile phone number if i had to The only people who know it are 02 and me finding it tonight. Now she insists my computer has not been hacked but can't block anymore charges which is about as much use as a chocolate teapot really so how the hell did they get the number without hacking my computer, and if they can do this, isn't the whole system totally insecure?

[Cleoriff]

Hi @caspergriswold have a look at this help thread https://community.o2.co.uk/t5/How-to-Guides/Have-you-fallen-for-or-been-conned-into-a-premium-rate-s...

Edited to add clicking on links in FB is the usual way these scams originate although it can happen via other routes. Anyway follow the advice and see how you go.

Edited for spelling

[Anonymous]

Hi @caspergriswold you may have inadvertently clicked on a link or social media site. Read this guide for help

https://community.o2.co.uk/t5/How-to-Guides/Have-you-fallen-for-or-been-conned-into-a-premium-rate-s...

[caspergriswold]

thanks but thats for sms and phones. this is mobile broadband. I can't text phone or anything

[Cleoriff]

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@caspergriswold wrote:

thanks but thats for sms and phones. this is mobile broadband. I can't text phone or anything

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Yes I realise that now @caspergriswold but following the advice on how to deal with it is provided in the link I gave

[MI5]

You will need to follow the same process of identifying the company charging you and contacting them for a refund and to remove you from their database.
It matters not if it's a phone, dongle, wingle or tablet. The process is the same.

[caspergriswold]

yeah i know the process of getting the money back. I just want to know HOW they did it. They haven't got my number, there is no way i would sign up for a game, I'm told O2 is secure so how?

[MI5]

Your sim card transmits the number to websites everytime you go online.

[caspergriswold]

So basically anyone can nick your number and charge you if you visit a website? No wonder she didn't want to tell me.

[MI5 · Accepted solution]

Basically yes, as far as the regulation currently stands.
We've been campaigning for years for a 2 step verification system for these kinds of subscriptions and EE has just introduced a pin or password approval system, so it's high time all the networks followed suit, but then they'd lose their cut of the fees