Spam Text Messages Charging Money - Untraceable number

Redisle

First of all mods please dont move this to the mobiles forum, i feel it would get a better response here.

Ok here is the story,
I have been getting these messages by text which charge me what seems like a euro or two each time i receive one. I have no idea where they are coming from, I have not willingly subscribed to anything and they are getting very very annoying,I have gotten 5 or 6 this year at least. So I just got another one and i decided i wanted to do something about it. First of all this is what the message reads:

From: mus factory ...( not in address book at all)
number: 930 ..( cant reply to this, not a number at all, some kind of number concealment???)

Message:
Sun may 6th,superstar djs AGNELLI&NELSON go back2back with irish ledgend MARK KAVANAGH!door 9.30 adm20. fri 11th LEE HASLEM sat 12th CSS!,sat19th MAURO PICOTTO

I have no clue what the hell that message even means, appears to be advertising some kind of gig but no location?? i mean wtf.

So ive come to the conclusion it is some kind of scam, i find it especially strange i cant get the number

So anyway i rang up vodafone cust care earlier and explained this to them, he took a look on his computer but all he came up with was that they were charging me 30cent per message ( they are charging more definetly). He said the number sending me the messages was 53727 ( thats the number used for other things like rte etc as far as i know) then gave me a phone number in Dublin which i could ring regarding that number.
So I ring this number and expain my situation to the girl who answered, she didn't really know what i meant so she got me to forward the message which I did. Rang back a few minutes later and she had got my message but it was nothing to do with their company, she suggested sending stop etc but its not possible to send messages to the number 930. In fareness she was really helpful but there was nothing she could do about it,She said vodafone probably only gave me their number because I had previously used it and they had it on record,This is true, but ive never received any spam messages from 53727.

So does anyone here know from where I am receiving these messages what I can do about it??? This is really starting to get very annoying now.
People think its a scam??

1. Didnt subscribe
2. Messages make no sense
3. Costing me a load of credit
4. Somehow the number is concealed
5. Vodafone cust care couldnt help

I mean what in the hell can I do about it?
Thanks for any help guys

irlrobins

ab_cork wrote:

First of all mods please dont move this to the mobiles forum, i feel it would get a better response here.

who cares. Wrong forum is wrong forum. It's not like Mobile forum is a tumbleweed zone. Moving.

Sam Vimes

53727 belongs to Rtn2Sndr according to

http://www.comreg.ie/numbering/num_sms_search.asp

ring regtel. they deal with this: www.regtel.ie

those premium rate numbers can show up as words. it doesn't have to be in your phone book or anything

Redisle

Yea but the actual number im getting texts from is 930 ( non replyable) not 53727, and the company I rang (that one i assume) came to the conclusion it was nothing to do with them, vodafone only gave me their number because it was on record that I had previously rang them.

Random

I'd ring Vodafone and see if they can intervene on your behalf. I know that Meteor and O2 will both happily send off emails to get you unsubscribed and try and help you out.

Oryx

One of the listings on the text is for a gig in the music factory carlow. http://www.themusicfactory.ieId give them a ring and ask do they use a text service for advertising, if they do, they should be able to get you details of who to talk to so you can cancel it. Also, whichever firm is sending the texts will probably be able to tell you how they got your number when you talk to them. (My mum had the same problem with horseracing ireland, who use a text advertising service)

Oryx

And Ive just realised Im treading on what might be dangerous ground with this. Mods, if my post in any way breaks the rules on the *unnamed promoter* music ban. I apologise, and please delete. I doesnt seem to but you never know.

Redisle

Thanks for the link KatieK, I just posted on their forums so Ill see if I get any information from them.

@ciaranfo - I rang them earlier and he guy I was talking to couldnt give me anything other than the number relating to 53727 and it turned out it's nothing to do with that company

cgarvey

Ring Vodafone back, and get a bit more assertive. If you're being charged for the text (and you definitely are being charged for receving it, right?), then Vodafone will have an agreement in place to arrange to pay that company (i.e. someone in Vodafone knows who gets the money). Query the line of the bill where the money goes out and explain that if you don't get a satisfactory response you'll be cancelling your Driect Debit (a right you have), and be withholding payment for that item until such time a reasonable explanation has been provided for.

RegTel may also have some advice (although the number doesn't sound like it's much to go on).. it's certainly worth a call. Don't push the "I never subscribed" part too much, because chances are you did unknowingly by entering a competition somewhere some time (like a radio competition sponsored by the sender, or something indirect like that).

Bottom line.. don't accept that from Vodafone.