SMS con - Watch Out

[Frankie]

This was in the Atlas security weekly news letter - anyone heard of this and the name of the company?

Suspected SMS con - Watch Out


Sandra warns others of the latest SMS scam she and others at her work place fell victim to: "Have you had the message 'you have won R30.00 of airtime' on your cellphone and clicked the button to find out more?

If you did, better check your bank account for a debit order.

This is apparently the modus operandi of a Cape Town SMS marketing company (name provided in original letter) who think that responding to a cryptic SMS entitles them to debit your bank account, without your signature on a debit order, to the amount of R90.00 per month which is apparently for airtime. I don't need this service and would not knowingly have agreed to it.

This has happened to 3 people at my workplace. No debit order was signed and

no bank details were given to the companies.

In my last conversation with the receptionist (whose name was provided) she agreed to reimburse me for the money that was deducted but didn't do so and when I phoned to enquire why she had not done so, she then told me that one of the business heads had decided that since I had responded to the SMS (which I don't recall ever doing) that they weren't going to pay me back.

A legitimate company surely would not want an unhappy client.

As soon as I mentioned that I intended to take this matter to the police as well as

newspapers, she said that she had been going to pay me back but since I was threatening her she would deny me the satisfaction unless I did not make the matter public or mention her name.

Do you feel, as I do, that these companies are committing fraud and stealing our

money? Where did they get the bank account details? This is confidential

information. Where did they get my phone number? Again, this is only given to people with whom one signs agreements.

The same company has been involved in a similarly shady manner in the past with a scheme involving a Financial Services company who were deducting money from civil servant's bank accounts for a CAP (Comprehensive Aid Protection) plan."

Note from Atlas:
We edited the names of the companies out as this matter can be taken to court and possibly pursued by the police. To prevent any liability from our side the letter has been edited so that the name of the companies allegedly involved are not displayed.

 

[10i]

they don't debit your bank account probably, sounds like a content charge service.

I wish those were illegal as it's too easy to get debited R25 per SMS received or R5 a day to be part of a club.

 

[Sponge Bob Square Pants]

Subscribers click buttons before reading and then they blame the networks for being charged for content services

 

[Piesang]

Well, I always say. If you didn't enter it you didn't win it.

Anyone who thinks they've won a prize in a competition they didn't enter deserves to be scammed like this.

 

[tco21]

The giveaway (excuse the pun) is in the first line of the sms. "You have won R30 of airtime" is just terrible English.