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Mobile Phone Subscription Calls

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Does anyone know anything about these?
I have a pay as you go Vodaphone mobile which I use for swinging contacts and nothing else.
Yesterday I received a text on this phone which said I was subscribed to *Astroscopes*, a daily astrological forecast which the message said would cost me per month unless I replied to the message to unsubscribe from the service.
I thought it was a scam so did not reply to it.
Today I received the first of these *forecasts* as a text message, which at the end of it said I could stop receiving these by texting the word *stop* to a given number.
I have never subscribed to any mobile phone message alerts, nor given this number out over the net or anywhere else, so what I'm hoping someone can tell me is -
Is this a scam to get me to confirm the number is active by getting me to reply?
How can I find out how this came to be on my phone? Would Vodaphone be able to tell me if someone else has used my number to subscribe to something?
Since I have already received a daily forecast and had no credit deducted from my account, surely they would take the money before sending the messages, can I assume it is a wind up and credit will not be deducted?
Your ideas would be appreciated please lol
Tracy-Jayne
Sounds a bit like a scam to me I would talk to Vodaphone they can probably help, and possibly trace the source and put a stop to it....
Dunno mate dunno
Katie had a very strange text message today, it just said "Elisabeth" :shock: :shock: :shock:
When we checked in her inbox all the other texts she has recieved have the callers number after them, this one though said "Data Message" confused: :?: :?: :?:
wierd huh?
Quote by Alfbede
Sounds a bit like a scam to me I would talk to Vodaphone they can probably help, and possibly trace the source and put a stop to it....

Sounds like good advice to me Tracey-Jayne, and I think I'd go that route rather than let them know your number is active by sending them a stop text. Sounds somewhat similar to Phising emails.
John
smile
Quote by Katien_n_John
Dunno mate dunno
Katie had a very strange text message today, it just said "Elisabeth" :shock: :shock: :shock:
When we checked in her inbox all the other texts she has recieved have the callers number after them, this one though said "Data Message" confused: :?: :?: :?:
wierd huh?

Yes on O2 they come through as Service messages - I can only assume that they have picked up the number from one of the contact site that I have left it on under the con that the sites are secure!
Working in the mobile fone industry - what i can tell you is that these messages are sent out in bulk - sometimes the company doing the texting buys a "block" or range of numbers from the mobile fone comanies - it is this they use to send the texts - they tend to have a "throw tons of crap" and hope some sticks attitude
if you want to report this as spam to the mobile fone company ( in this case VF) is to forward the text message from your fone to 87726 ( VSPAM) and they will then amass a list of people reporting the number as spam - once it reaches a certain level - they will have their service terminated and costs charged!
a Brief description i know - but hope it makes sense
kbuk
Quote by Alfbede
Yes on O2 they come through as Service messages - I can only assume that they have picked up the number from one of the contact site that I have left it on under the con that the sites are secure!

I've just had a thought - one of my contacts often send me text messages from his account - could this be where someone has got hold of my number do you think?
I have contacted Vodaphone via their website, but as I refuse to give out my home phone number for them to call me back on :shock: I have to wait up to 48 hours for a reply by email confused
What's wrong with calling me back on my mobile ffs?! :doh: rolleyes
T-J lol
Quote by kbuk
Working in the mobile fone industry - what i can tell you is that these messages are sent out in bulk - sometimes the company doing the texting buys a "block" or range of numbers from the mobile fone comanies - it is this they use to send the texts - they tend to have a "throw tons of crap" and hope some sticks attitude
if you want to report this as spam to the mobile fone company ( in this case VF) is to forward the text message from your fone to 87726 ( VSPAM) and they will then amass a list of people reporting the number as spam - once it reaches a certain level - they will have their service terminated and costs charged!
a Brief description i know - but hope it makes sense
kbuk

This is excellent advice much better than I could give I suggest it's followed!
Quote by RedHot

Yes on O2 they come through as Service messages - I can only assume that they have picked up the number from one of the contact site that I have left it on under the con that the sites are secure!

I've just had a thought - one of my contacts often send me text messages from his account - could this be where someone has got hold of my number do you think?
I have contacted Vodaphone via their website, but as I refuse to give out my home phone number for them to call me back on :shock: I have to wait up to 48 hours for a reply by email confused
What's wrong with calling me back on my mobile ffs?! :doh: rolleyes
T-J lol
Oh bloody hell light dawns! Thanks for the enlightenment kiss
Quote by kbuk
if you want to report this as spam to the mobile fone company ( in this case VF) is to forward the text message from your fone to 87726 ( VSPAM) and they will then amass a list of people reporting the number as spam - once it reaches a certain level - they will have their service terminated and costs charged!
a Brief description i know - but hope it makes sense
kbuk

Thank you for that. I'll forward it on and see what happens smile
T-J
T_J Hun
Have you done a "Google" on Astroscopes ..
They do have a web site hun and pricey
Fred
I seem to recall that watchdog looked into these, i reckon there may be a link on the BBC website that can help remove them.
Cause
Option one:
Using emailing accounts to send text messages is an easy way to get your phone number picked up on. This is because the message is not sent with encryption keys in the message itself and in the address it is going to.
Option two: (Most likely)
Another thing you have to watch out for is the small print in using these services from (especially freebe accounts) is the adding of numbers to opt in subscriptions. These are not against the law as the user has, one way or another, requested to be on the list. Chances are you will not of remembered or that it was in a small print in using some software on the tinterweb.
Option three: (likely)
A mass mailer has purchased an unclean list of phone numbers to send their messages to. Unclean means that the numbers are not verified as correct and not verified as opt in.
Solution:
Reply to the text with the word STOP, or X, and you should receive one more explaining that you have been removed.
I have said that the option two is most likely because purchasing numbers to send text messages to is a very expensive business. Granted if they do not know what they are doing then they may well accept a dirty list but this is not common practise in the texting media.
You know it has come from a legitimate source because of the option to opt out of the list. This is not to check that your number is valid. You have received the text, that is enough validation needed because you will be billed anyway.
There are other ways of phising off phone numbers but these do not sound like a spam message. Just make sure that everybody you know who has this number (This also includes the shop that sold it to you) does not give it out. Try not to put it into emails. Don't use the internet to send messages or other services to it. In short, don't use it wink
The internet is not a secure form of media transmition when it comes to phones and texts. It is even possible to intercept multimedia messages, granted you will only get the header (sent from and to who) but that is more than enough information.
If you have any more questions give me a shout.
Thank you for the info Matt. I have followed your advice and sent the *stop* message and indeed received one back saying I will be unsubbed within 24 hours.
The reply came back from the same number I had to reply to but it gave a www address too so I'm going to have a look on there and see if I can find out how they got my number rolleyes
I don't use my *swinging* phone for other purposes, so I can only assume the number has come from the email texts I have received. I certainly have never issued the number via any web sites for purchases, services, or any other reasons.
Just incase all else fails and I keep geting problems, I have also bought a new unregistered sim card on Ebay tonight for the princely sum of 49p !!! At least I can change my number that way and not have to give it to the guy who uses email texts if it proves to be his fault lol
Thank to everyone who had given me advice. kiss
It may seem a minor thing to most people, but when I've had this phone for over two years and never had any form of spam and then find myself getting some, it pissed me off a tad, especially when I have to pay for the priviledge :roll: :lol2:
T-J
I really should get a swinging conatct fone as well as a normal one....
however my swinging conatcs i would consider to be friends as well so......
i have resorted to a diffrent ring tone for all swinging conatcs to i can answer the fone descreatly.
i dont get many un-authorised txts but then i dont give my mobile number out.. as i use it for work as well as pleasure.
MikeC
surely there a watchdog for mobile phone industry that you can complain to !!
your number may have been randomly selected or the airtime supplier may share his lists
with ' CAREFULLY SELECTED BUSINESS PARTNERS' my horses arse
trouble is the more we evolve the more the scammers seem to do
dont even ask me about phones!!!! mad rolleyes
louxx
Quote by bailiffs
dont even ask me about phones!!!! mad rolleyes
louxx

What's it about phones then? wink
Quote by bailiffs
dont even ask me about phones!!!! mad rolleyes
louxx

what about phones ? :x
have you sussed the bastard out yet lou ?
nope i aint bothered no more!!!!!!!!!!!!! let um waste their time!!!!!!!!!! biggrin
louxxxxxxxxx
Having trouble with molbiles Lou?
You oughtta try sorting out my contract.....8 months after they arsed up the contract they're trying to tell me I owe them 850 quid!! mad :x :x :x :x
Tried trading standards, now going through OTELO (Telecoms Ombudsman).
I'm giving them another month then I'll just tell them to sue me. I can't wait to see some scrote from the company stand in front of a judge and try to persuade them of their case. :small-print: rotflmao :rotflmao: :rotflmao:
Mobile phone company beuraucrats... banghead :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:
sweet and sour youve got the wrong end of the stick with bailiffs and phones mate its TOTALLY different situation