The cell phone bill arrives, and the charges are higher than the standard rate charged by the cell phone company. Cell phone customers check the charge listings and find companies like Predicto Mobile, Mobile Messenger and others are billing for a range of premium cell phone services like Word of the Day, Horoscopes, Ringtones, Games, and even news updates.
How the Cell Phone Scam Works
Although the third party services charging through all the major cell phone companies allege that premium cell phone services are authorized by cell phone users, many cell phone owners say this is not the case.
In some instances, a cell phone user enters the cell phone number (which can be any number the person might care to type in) and then gets a message that a service has been ordered. The stop service button may be pressed immediately, but a $9.99 monthly charge goes on the cell phone bill and continues even when customers send additional stop service text messages as required by some cell phone scam companies.
In other cases, cell phone customers deny ordering fee based cell phone updates period. For example, some cell phone owners who do not even use text end up with bogus charges. Such charges may be set up online with various quizzes but may not have been set up by the owner of the phone. There is no cell number confirmation process, so anyone could potentially enter a cell phone number or even make up one.
Additionally, some cell phone numbers are “dirty” when issued. This means that charges are shifted over to the new cell phone owner who is charged for services the previous owner may or may not have ordered. A class action lawsuit is pending in Michigan alleging that Predicto Mobile ignored deactivation lists from the cell phone provider and continued to knowingly charge new cell phone owners for premium cell phone services
Why Do Cell Phone Scams Continue Even After Multiple Lawsuits Have Been Filed?
Premium cell phone charges are big business with most charges running $9.99 and up and often billed repeatedly, month after month or even more often. While a few cell phone owners will push the issue, many simply pay the bill and try to get services stopped or cancel cell phone services.
Although the scam cell phone service companies obviously turn a hefty profit, cell phone provider companies also benefit from the scam by getting a percentage of the billed charges. Typically cell phone companies pass the buck and state that they can’t do anything about third party charges and put the cell phone owner in the position of having to track down the actual company that billed indirectly through the cell phone carrier.
Online companies like Facebook get a piece of the money pie too by running ads by the cell phone scammers. A simple quiz (the IQ test, for example) looks like other applications or apps on Facebook but turns into a nightmare as the charges begin to bill automatically to the cell phone indirectly through online ads hosted by site owners.
It seems there is no real accountability when it comes to premium cell phone charges. Service companies and online sites do not have to verify charges, and cell phone companies list the charges and take a cut, also without a confirmation process. It's a very warped system that makes it difficult for someone scammed to get relief.
What to Do If Charged for Unauthorized Cell Phone Services
Contact both the cell phone provider company and the cell phone service companies involved and insist that the charges be reversed or refunded. Take good notes on conversations and be persistent. If possible, follow up with legal action if charges are not refunded. In some cases, consumers can join pending class action lawsuits.
In addition, file a report with the Better Business Bureau both against the cell phone service provider, the online content site running ads, and the cell phone company. After all, nothing will change if the powers that be do not know what is going on and how cell phone customers are being taken for a ride.
Cyndi Allison - Southern born and fed, Cyndi Allison is a college lecturer and newspaper advisor as well as being a freelance writer. She writes on ...
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