Weird Text - Obvious scam

DeepBlue

I received the text message below last night (the text message is exactly as shown below including symbols, and poor grammer and spelling).
Obviously it is an extremely benovelent and altruistic offer of some sort and I received a few occasionally like this previously.

I'm guessing that if you reply then you get subscribed to some service that reluctantly charges you and whoever is operating the unbelieveably generous offer can claim that you have been informed by couching their text in "programmer speak" i.e all weird symbols etc.

Have others received this type of text and can anything be done to protect your number from this type of generosity?


¤100 Credit/Cash
awarded 2u! Text DOSH
to 57080 for PIN
details.NoCharge
2colect
¤20/wk!Info?08182866
06.Sp Opera.Subing u@
¤36/mth.Optout?DELET
E to 57080

Sender:
FREE

The Corinthian

Well there's no such thing as a free lunch so whatever the offer they will be making a profit on it, although it could also be a loss leader designed to bring in business at a later date, so it might be worth looking at closer. There appears to be an information number, so you could probably find out more by calling it (even if it's just a recorded message).

If you want to be taken off their direct marketing lists then I would suggest contacting Opera Telecom (the service provider) directly. They should do do faster than going via RegTel as they'll want to avoid the hassle of a regulatory initiated action to do the same thing. After all, SMS's cost money and it's not in their interests to send direct marketing SMS's to someone who does not want them.

Just to disclose I do work in that industry although not for Opera Telecom.

BrianD

All of the service providers are supposed to have the word STOP and not Delete as the "opt out" of any premium rate service.

If you have time I would report them straight away to RegTel for breaching the code of practice that they signed up for. In fact it would be useful if RegTel had a text number for fowarding these messages on.

Useful info here: http://www.regtel.ie/unsubscribe.php

It's interesting looking at your message. Obviously your phone doesn't support the € (Euro) symbol and has used another symbol. The message seems to imply that to get your €100 that you will actually be spending €36 per month or €432. Nice little earner for Opera.

stewiegriffin08

DeepBlue wrote:

¤100 Credit/Cash
awarded 2u! Text DOSH
to 57080 for PIN
details.NoCharge
2colect
¤20/wk!Info?08182866
06.Sp Opera.Subing u@
¤36/mth.Optout?DELET
E to 57080

Sender:
FREE

No, I just used your PIN there to collect the 20, Looks like it wasnt a scam!... only joking looks like a scam is right.... Though now, there is a rule, all providers must stop if you send "STOP" to the number.... Was on tv

Edited--- (oh, as stated above)

dingding

I am not sure which company you are with, but I know Meteor had a number you could forward SPAM to.

Try checking your mobile providers web site.

I think there was a site you could use to check out mobile short codes but I cant remember it now.

The Corinthian

BrianD wrote:

All of the service providers are supposed to have the word STOP and not Delete as the "opt out" of any premium rate service.

He does not appear to be subscribed to any premium rate service, only that he has received a direct marketing message, so STOP would not apply.

Whether he should be receiving direct marketing messages is another matter. Typically numbers come from people previously subscribed to services as it makes sense to send to those who have a history of using them. Again, it's probably faster to contact Opera directly (not via SMS though) to get unsubscribed from future marketing mailshots than go through RegTel (or possibly the Data Commissioner in this case).

DeepBlue - Have you ever used a premium rate SMS service in the past? How long have you have your number?

It's interesting looking at your message. Obviously your phone doesn't support the € (Euro) symbol and has used another symbol. The message seems to imply that to get your €100 that you will actually be spending €36 per month or €432. Nice little earner for Opera.

He could send stop after the first month when he's received his €100 though, giving him a net profit of €64? There must be a catch - or perhaps not; a lot of people simply don't bother unsubscribing to services.

Pansy Potter

I got that same text. Just deleted it. Sometimes even sending STOP is charged at a premium rate.

BrianD

Fair point about the differentiation between the message being a "direct mail" and not a premium message. i would be of the view that STOP should be the keyword to stop all spam and premium rate.

I think you hit the nail on the head about the catch on the deal. Most people don;t know how to unsubscribe to these services or are completely unaware that they are being charged per text. These guys rely on a good deal of inertia to make their money.

The Corinthian

I just chatted to someone from Opera and they explained the following:

They are subbed at €36p/m, but can claim €20 each week by simply sending a SAE each week with the code/pin they receive. They are also entered into a weekly draw to win €1k.

The service works because not everyone claims the credit every week.

Does this satisfy everyone's questions? If so, and there are no objections, I'll close this thread.

DeepBlue

My main interest in posting the thread was to see how this fantastically generous offer worked. There was no chance of me replying to the text as the chances of some kind hearted soul offering me 100 euro gratis was somewhat remote and I'm reluctant to impose on their obvious kindness .

In fairness though - this does seem to be a somewhat delightfully transparent practice. It's abundantly clear from the text that by replying you are committing yourself to being charged 36 euro a month. If a kid received the text or if someone replied out of curiosity then they could find themselves laughing all the way to the bank quite easily and it could be a while before they figured out how to stop the thing but that would be entirely their own fault. Also there's no mention of an SAE in the text. Perhaps it's mentioned in a follow up text when you reply but it's still all an example of wonderful transparency.

Another question is where did they get my number? The only suspect I can think of is that my phone would have been used for Charity You're a Star. I guess they must have got it from that and generously offered the service to other users. Again a lot of kids would text in to the You're a Star series so I could see a lot of kids getting the full benefit of this wonderful offer.

Tbh it doesn't affect me and I probably won't even bother ringing the number to get my number taking off the list as I can just delete the texts but I do think that this sort of thing smells of roses and certainly doesn't need any regulation.

DeepBlue

BrianD wrote:

It's interesting looking at your message. Obviously your phone doesn't support the € (Euro) symbol and has used another symbol.

My phone does support the euro symbol.
I suspected that part of the generous offer was that it relied on people thinking the ¤ symbol meant euro and then when they tried to claim it they could be refused with the reason that ¤ means nothing and thus there was no contractual obligation or whatever.

The Corinthian wrote:

If so, and there are no objections, I'll close this thread.

Why close it though? If someone wants to add something then let them or otherwise let it die off. I'm just curious as to why it's necessary to lock it .

The Corinthian

DeepBlue wrote:

My phone does support the euro symbol.

Their system might not though. It also probably does not know what your phone supports so will simply send a character that it can be reasonably certain will work on all phones.

Why close it though? If someone wants to add something then let them or otherwise let it die off. I'm just curious as to why it's necessary to lock it .

Because of legal reasons. For example, you have no problem using the word scam repeatedly which implies that they are breaking the law. This is a serious allegation and if so I suggest you put your money where your mouth is and feel free to post (or PM) your contact details so that if Opera, or any other service provider, were to mount a defamation suit, you and not Boards Ltd would be the target. Only fair seeing as you are the one making the accusation.

Locking threads of this nature is necessary because of the legal implications they raise. On one side they serve and inform the community, but on the other they often devolve into a diatribe of mindless accusations that are ripe for legal action. As such it is necessary to find a compromise position that best serves both.

DeepBlue

Did I say scam? I, of course, meant to say "wonderfully altruistic and benevolent offer". I've edited my posts accordingly but, unfortunately cannot edit the title. Perhaps you would, if possible, replace the word "scam" in the title with "fantastic free offer"?

I can't think what made me use the word scam when obviously there is no scam involved whatsoever.

The Corinthian

DeepBlue wrote:

I can't think what made me use the word scam when obviously there is no scam involved whatsoever.

If you do not understand libel law, I suggest you read up on it. It may be your opinion that something is a scam, but unless you can prove this in a court of law it is defamatory and Boards Ltd can be sued for it.

Now I can understand how you may feel aggrieved by this, but I have explained why. Now, I'd prefer if this thread did not devolve, so if there are no further objections I shall close it.