57030 - Received 4 unsolicited mails in the space of a minute today.

A2LUE42

Hi, As above I received 4 unsolicited mails today from these fraudsters. I immediately contacted customer care and they said the only way to stop them was to text STOP to the number. I would like to ensure that I am not charged for any of these texts, The 4 received or the one I had to send to stop the fraud continuing.

ED E

o2 Reps wrote:

This is a premium subscription text and would usually arise through entering competitions or setting up weather/sports alerts or downloading wallpapers/ringtones as just a few examples. On smartphones, another one to watch out for is clicking through advertisements on free versions of games.

They are coming from a company called Zamano who would be able to tell you how and when the number was subscribed. Their contact details are here: http://www.phonesmart.ie/NumberChecker/57030. If you are unsatisfied with their explanation, ComReg can bring it further for you. You can reach them on 01 804 9668.

Replying STOP all in capital letters to these sms will unsubscribe you through your phone. I can drop them an email to request this too if you want to PM me her number. There is no way to 'blanket' block them but keep an eye on the methods outlined above. Have a look on www.phonesmart.ie for more info too.

If you didnt SEND something first then theres no way you should be charged.

A2LUE42

ED E wrote: »

Originally posted by o2 Reps

This is a premium subscription text and would usually arise through entering competitions or setting up weather/sports alerts or downloading wallpapers/ringtones as just a few examples. On smartphones, another one to watch out for is clicking through advertisements on free versions of games.

They are coming from a company called Zamano who would be able to tell you how and when the number was subscribed. Their contact details are here: http://www.phonesmart.ie/NumberChecker/57030. If you are unsatisfied with their explanation, ComReg can bring it further for you. You can reach them on 01 804 9668.

Replying STOP all in capital letters to these sms will unsubscribe you through your phone. I can drop them an email to request this too if you want to PM me her number. There is no way to 'blanket' block them but keep an eye on the methods outlined above. Have a look on www.phonesmart.ie for more info too.

If you didnt SEND something first then theres no way you should be charged.

Didn't send anything. Was shopping when my phone beeped a few times in my pocket. Haven't downloaded a wallpaper or ringtone, ever. Don't use the phone for games. Customer service rep told me that it is common for this company to get numbers online or from another source and to just spam people. That being true, I couldn't believe that I was being told that it was basically tough luck, text STOP, get charged more and bugger off and try your luck with comreg.

A2LUE42

Now showing online..

05 Mar 2016 16:28 SMS57030 €2.0325
05 Mar 2016 16:28 SMS57030 €2.0325
05 Mar 2016 16:28 SMS57030 €2.0325
05 Mar 2016 16:28 SMS57030 €2.0325
05 Mar 2016 16:28 SMS57030 €2.0325
05 Mar 2016 16:28 SMS57030 €2.0325

Total €12.195

A2LUE42

See details of the competition and other offers. http://mobi.winclub.ie/s/7HK0 Helpline: 0766801002
Today at 4:28 PM

Click here http://mobi.winclub.ie/s/7HJz for some bonus content. Helpline: 0766801002
Today at 4:28 PM

You have 7 days bonus access to the AppMob Portal. Click here: http://mobi.winclub.ie/s/7HK1 for your download. Helpline: 0766801002
Today at 4:28 PM

Thanks for entering WinClub and good luck with the draw.Helpline: 0766801002
Today at 4:28 PM

STOP

That is the full conversation via text. My only text sent to them was the 'STOP' as per the eir rep. 5 texts, 4 Unsolicited, 1 to 'STOP' and yet I have 6 charges of €2.0325.

A2LUE42

Forgot the vat too, so total cost for 6 texts = €14.99985

Have had a few emails to customer service in Zamano and have given them my comreg reference number.

Not impressed with the service from Eir though. and still no response of any kind here.

This seems such a common fraud, surely these operators should be blacklisted by the phone operators.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

The fact that the rep knows about the company and you are still being charged is absolutely disgusting. Eir don't care about you, the only care about your money. It's a scam and you should not be charged for it.

Amalgam

Telephone companies have to allow another company to operate on their network, certain mobile networks in Ireland receive funding/payment to do so, it isn't a passive or accidental situation, the problem could be stopped at the flick of a switch..

Zamano have been fined heavily for this in the UK. They have also surfaced in coverage relating to mystery charges in this country, after customers interacted with their services, through a 'national' broadcaster.

Contact Comreg OP, if you haven't already.. They're well aware of Zamano.

http://www.comreg.ie/

---

(WinClub)

http://www.comreg.ie/publications/non-compliance_with_the_premium_rate_services_licence_conditions_-_zamano_solutions_ltd_.583.104868.p.html

---

30th June 2015
ComReg issues a notification of a finding of non-compliance to the premium rate service provider Zamano and their 'WinClub' service.

---

The fines are well below the profit margins, even when record fines are levelled against the various companies, case in point:

(apologies, it's the Daily Mail..)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2090062/Mobile-phone-rip-offs-10-000-consumers-wrongly-signed-costly-subscription-services.html

A2LUE42

Have gotten a case id from comreg and emailed zamano customer care directly also. Getting a refund via cheque posted to me.

Joke of a system, they should be banned. Brendan Mullins and co should not be allowed operate that scam.

What % of people don't follow up and get their money back.

Eir: Pamela

HiA2LUE42,

I'm very sorry to hear this.
Zamono is a third party company that has no association with eir. 

Unfortunately we would be unable to refund the charges as these charges are relating to zamona and not eir however COMREG should be able to arrange this for you.


You can read more about them here http://www.zamonamobileads.com/.

Pamela 

A2LUE42

Hi Pamela,

My issue is that this company were able to leech €15 from my account without my consent and without me signing up for any service or product from them. Which they have acknowledged, as have Eir.

Does that mean that I can setup a premium sms service and then just charge people for receiving random texts I send to whatever numbers I feel like and make a profit based on the people who don't notice or who are unable to follow the process to recover the funds taken by fraudulent means?

That seems a crazy system and would be criminal in any other situation.

Eir: Pamela

A2LUE42 wrote: »

Hi Pamela,

My issue is that this company were able to leech €15 from my account without my consent and without me signing up for any service or product from them. Which they have acknowledged, as have Eir.

Does that mean that I can setup a premium sms service and then just charge people for receiving random texts I send to whatever numbers I feel like and make a profit based on the people who don't notice or who are unable to follow the process to recover the funds taken by fraudulent means?

That seems a crazy system and would be criminal in any other situation.

I understand your frustration and it has affected customers in the past, but unfortunately it is out of our control A2LUE42.
 
These numbers are usually opted into without your knowledge. It can happen when entering a quiz for example or even when giving your number online in some cases.
 
I’d recommend contacting COMREG who will be able to assist you in trying to redeem these charges.
 
I apologise I can’t be of more help personally in this case.

Pamela 

A2LUE42

Cheque received today in post for €15.

So in summary, if this happens to you;

Text STOP to the number to stop them.
Contact Comreg and get a case ID.
Email Zamano customer care at  csemails@zamano.net 

Subject: 57030 - Request for Return of funds taken and explanation of where you got my phone number.

To whom it may concern,

I would like a refund of the charges you caused on my mobile phone 08x xxxxxxx and also an explanation of where and how you got my phone details. I have reported this to both Comreg (Case ID yy) and the mobile phone provider.

<Insert call charge details here> (Don't forget the VAT)

Regards.

A2LUE42


They should then agree to refund you and look for your address details to send the cheque. Or you could put that info in the first email.

eircom: Tracey

A2LUE42 wrote: »

Cheque received today in post for €15.

So in summary, if this happens to you;

Text STOP to the number to stop them.
Contact Comreg and get a case ID.
Email Zamano customer care at  csemails@zamano.net 

Subject: 57030 - Request for Return of funds taken and explanation of where you got my phone number.

To whom it may concern,

I would like a refund of the charges you caused on my mobile phone 08x xxxxxxx and also an explanation of where and how you got my phone details. I have reported this to both Comreg (Case ID yy) and the mobile phone provider.

<Insert call charge details here> (Don't forget the VAT)

Regards.

A2LUE42


They should then agree to refund you and look for your address details to send the cheque. Or you could put that info in the first email.

I'm glad to hear you received your refund. 

Thanks for the information

Thanks 

Tracey 

mdean

A2LUE42 wrote: »

Forgot the vat too, so total cost for 6 texts = €14.99985

Have had a few emails to customer service in Zamano and have given them my comreg reference number.

Not impressed with the service from Eir though. and still no response of any kind here.

This seems such a common fraud, surely these operators should be blacklisted by the phone operators.

Absolutely disgraceful that this has continued for so long,  received unsolicited 57030 premium texts (six in succession @ 2.03 per text)  from the same company Zamano, working from an Irish address:

3rd Floor,
Hospitality House,
16 - 20 Cumberland Street South,
Dublin 2,
Ireland.

There was no explicit consent or disclaimer around text or charges, yet these guys are allowed to send premium texts, and have been allowed to continue to do this for many years? 

They are operating in Ireland, yet both Comreg and the Data Protection Commissioner are less than useless in relation to these scammers, even when it's clear they are abusing data protection legislation.

I fear this message/thread like many more others before (from this forum site and many others) will simply be ignored...

Below is straight from the dataprotection.ie  (The nature of consent)
Section 2A of the Acts does not specify a level of consent. This may vary from case to case and between implied and explicit. If relying upon consent, the key test will be to demonstrate that consent exists. However, when processing sensitive personal data, the level of consent must be explicit. This means that a data subject must be aware of and understand the purposes for which his/her data are being processed. Explicit consent need not require a data subject to sign a form in all cases. Consent can be understood to be explicit where a person volunteers personal data after the purposes in processing the data have been clearly explained. Thus a clear explanation on a form, a web page, or the delivery of a script by properly trained telephone staff might be sufficient to demonstrate consent has been explicitly given.

No age limit is associated with consent. However, it is important that the data subject appreciates the nature and effect of such consent. Therefore, different ages might be set for different types of consent. If in doubt, it is advised that you select the common age of majority, 18 years. Where a person is unlikely to be able to appreciate the nature or effect of consent, by reason of physical or mental incapacity or age, then a parent, grandparent, uncle, aunt, brother, sister or guardian may give consent on behalf of the data subject. These are the only circumstances in which a third party may give consent on behalf of a data subject.

A2LUE42

mdean wrote: »

A2LUE42 wrote: »

Forgot the vat too, so total cost for 6 texts = €14.99985

Have had a few emails to customer service in Zamano and have given them my comreg reference number.

Not impressed with the service from Eir though. and still no response of any kind here.

This seems such a common fraud, surely these operators should be blacklisted by the phone operators.

Absolutely disgraceful that this has continued for so long,  received unsolicited 57030 premium texts (six in succession @ 2.03 per text)  from the same company Zamano, working from an Irish address:

3rd Floor,
Hospitality House,
16 - 20 Cumberland Street South,
Dublin 2,
Ireland.

There was no explicit consent or disclaimer around text or charges, yet these guys are allowed to send premium texts, and have been allowed to continue to do this for many years? 

They are operating in Ireland, yet both Comreg and the Data Protection Commissioner are less than useless in relation to these scammers, even when it's clear they are abusing data protection legislation.

I fear this message/thread like many more others before (from this forum site and many others) will simply be ignored...

Below is straight from the dataprotection.ie  (The nature of consent)
Section 2A of the Acts does not specify a level of consent. This may vary from case to case and between implied and explicit. If relying upon consent, the key test will be to demonstrate that consent exists. However, when processing sensitive personal data, the level of consent must be explicit. This means that a data subject must be aware of and understand the purposes for which his/her data are being processed. Explicit consent need not require a data subject to sign a form in all cases. Consent can be understood to be explicit where a person volunteers personal data after the purposes in processing the data have been clearly explained. Thus a clear explanation on a form, a web page, or the delivery of a script by properly trained telephone staff might be sufficient to demonstrate consent has been explicitly given.

No age limit is associated with consent. However, it is important that the data subject appreciates the nature and effect of such consent. Therefore, different ages might be set for different types of consent. If in doubt, it is advised that you select the common age of majority, 18 years. Where a person is unlikely to be able to appreciate the nature or effect of consent, by reason of physical or mental incapacity or age, then a parent, grandparent, uncle, aunt, brother, sister or guardian may give consent on behalf of the data subject. These are the only circumstances in which a third party may give consent on behalf of a data subject.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/zamano-accused-of-wrongly-billing-phone-users-for-services-404950.html

Counsel said the regulator received a significant number of complaints in response to how these premium services operate. In 2014, there were 3,911 complaints of which 1,827, or 47%, were referable to Zamano, said Mr O’Higgins.


And not only are they not shut down, the Jokers are expanding!!
[font=PT Sans, sans-serif]http://www.irishtimes.com/business/technology/zamano-prepares-for-change-as-it-eyes-acquisitions-1.2744833[/font]

tuch

Amalgam wrote: »

Telephone companies have to allow another company to operate on their network, certain mobile networks in Ireland receive funding/payment to do so, it isn't a passive or accidental situation, the problem could be stopped at the flick of a switch..

Zamano have been fined heavily for this in the UK. They have also surfaced in coverage relating to mystery charges in this country, after customers interacted with their services, through a 'national' broadcaster.

Exactly. Zamano could not operate without the agreement and support of Eir.

They purchase "sucker" lists. These are lists of numbers that have texted to tv competitions or quizzes etc. More likely to be gullible and not ask for money back. 

A2LUE42 wrote: »

Joke of a system, they should be banned. Brendan Mullins and co should not be allowed operate that scam.

What % of people don't follow up and get their money back.

Its too profitable for everyone involved. Those that follow up are usually refunded. Eir and Zamano make their money from the large percentage that don't follow up.

Eir: Pamela wrote: »

HiA2LUE42,

I'm very sorry to hear this.
Zamono is a third party company that has no association with eir. 

Absolutely not true. Zamano and Eir are business partners. 

A2LUE42 wrote: »

Hi Pamela,

My issue is that this company were able to leech €15 from my account without my consent and without me signing up for any service or product from them. Which they have acknowledged, as have Eir.

Does that mean that I can setup a premium sms service and then just charge people for receiving random texts I send to whatever numbers I feel like and make a profit based on the people who don't notice or who are unable to follow the process to recover the funds taken by fraudulent means?

That seems a crazy system and would be criminal in any other situation.

Not necessarily. You could only do this if you got the agreement of Eir to take money from their customers on your behalf.

A2LUE42 wrote: »

Counsel said the regulator received a significant number of complaints in response to how these premium services operate. In 2014, there were 3,911 complaints of which 1,827, or 47%, were referable to Zamano.


And not only are they not shut down, the Jokers are expanding!!
[font=PT Sans, sans-serif]http://www.irishtimes.com/business/technology/zamano-prepares-for-change-as-it-eyes-acquisitions-1.2744833[/font]

Its a very profitable business. For everyone involved.