82344

Hi,

I just received a sms from this number saying:

"FreeMsg: Grab urself a free iPAD! Reply VIP to find out how. SMS alert by MoneyOffsMob great offers weekly! Help 08432903566 To stop txt off Age 16+ SP: WIN"

I'm not sure if this msg cost me anything, hopefully they are fishing for a reply so they know my numbers active as i know i've not signed up for anything. So i'm initially not going to reply.

I Stongly suspect this company gets its mobile numbers FROM the TPS list of who NOT to call (all our numbers residential and mobile are listed with TPS)
This is the Latest text from this no as it appears on 2 phones,seems the company reinvents itself regularly-very persistent:

"FreeMsg:Apply for a free IPAD! Reply VIP to find out how.
SMS alert by MoneyOffsMob great offers weekly!
Help 08432903566 To stop text off Age 16+
SP:WIN"

31 July 2010 23:00 from 82344
----------------------------------------
My advise:
Do not reply VIP -
Ignore all texts but keep orginals as evidence it if you are TPS registered.
Contact Telephone Preference Service,report continual breaches
If you reply VIP you will be charged and you are not told how much beforehand.
Some posters are reporting £7.50 here - but it could be anything and over any amount of time.

This should ne illegal

As long as you don't reply it won't cost you anything
Register with telephone preference service - (which is free)

Individuals have the right to refuse unsolicited marketing messages by fax, phone, email and text message. Companies or organisations have the right to refuse marketing by phone and fax. Both can register with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) if they don't want to receive unsolicited marketing calls. For more information about the TPS contact:
The Telephone Preference Service
DMA House
70 Margaret Street
London
W1W 8SS

website: http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/

Hi John,

Two quick points her:
- "As long as you don't reply it won't cost you anything" Unfortunately this is not the case, take a look at the thousands who have been hit by this scam (myself included) without ever replying to any text or signing up for any service.
- "Register with telephone preference service - (which is free)" TPS does not have any jurisdiction on SMS, so they will not be able to help.

For a simple solution to these scamming scumbags, please see my previous post below:

EASY SOLUTION TO THE SCAM
This is definitely a scam, it has affected thousands of people over the years and has made the scammers and their front men (the networks) millions!  If you contact your network they will just give you the run-around and tell you to contact the scammers.  The networks know this is a scam, but are happy to enable the scammers to keep going as they take a cut of the proceeds.  
If you get any unwanted premium rate texts, you should send an email or registered letter to the customer service department of your mobile network with the following text (replace O2 with your network's name):

" I have received a number of unsolicited premium rate texts from 82344.  I do not have an agreement, contract or relationship of any kind or form with this scam company, hence all texts sent to me were sent illegally as per 2003 E-Privacy Regulations.  The money taken from my account was also taken illegally as per the 1968 Theft Act.  Since my contract is with O2 and it is O2 that has knowingly or unknowingly been complicit in this theft I expect on one the following from O2:

•    I expect O2 to refund the money illegally take from my account and O2 to take this up with the scammers.
•    I expect O2 to provide me with a full and detailed audit trail proving that I subscribed for this service and that the money was taken legally.

Please advise me within 48 hours or receipt of this email, which of the two above actions O2 will be taking.  If I do not receive a satisfactory reply within 48 hours I will be making a formal complaint to Oftel, reporting the theft to the Police and initiating legal action.
"

Its almost a certainty the network will not have any proof of a subscription, they may have details of texts sent or received, but unless they can provide the content of those texts then they can't prove that you subscribed. They will have to refund the money or get the scammers to refund the money (make sure you get a FULL refund).

I did all of the above with O2 and they finally stopped giving me the run-around and got me a refund.  Don't let them fool you into thinking you signed up by accident, or you weren't paying attention, this is nothing but a SCAM.  The scammers buy your number from mailing lists or simply auto generate it from known number ranges.

Hope this helps, good luck...

Regards
Jon

I recieved a text from this number but i did request it as it was for a dontation to a trust fund, through their own web site they offer text donations as an option, have donated before, recieve the conformation which takes the donation amount, but thats it, no additional messages.

having messages from 82344 saying i can get a free lap top and also reply yes to free euromillions
lines as if anything is free in this world.

I just recieved a message today telling me to txt ok to the number 82344 to win a free laptop, well I did do so and i am not sure what's gonna happen next.

dont know who this is and how got my number im getting charged for recieving

Jon

Thank you for posting a copy of the letter you sent to your service provider.

I 'allegedly' had two premium rate texts from 82344 over the past week..... but know nothing about them until I looked at my online O2 bill this afternoon.

I Googled '82344' to see if I could find out who they were from and came across this forum.

So I copied your letter and emailed it to O2 at about 2.00pm today.

Less than 2 hours later I had a response!

The response reads as follows:-

Hi Philip

I'm sorry you got charged for receiving premium texts.

As you've not subscribed for this service, I've credited £5 to your account for the charges you incurred and it'll show on your next bill. Also, please unsubscribe this service by sending STOP to this number
82344. If you get charged for that, don't worry, I've credited an additional £3 on the account to cover those charges. So, in total I've credited £8 to your bill.

I hope this helps. If there's anything else I can do for you, just drop me an email or visit our online Help Centre at:

http://www.o2.co.uk/help

Thanks

Ashwani
O2 Customer Service


I'm impressed!!!

Just discovered that I have had to pay £7.50 +VAT for 3 interactive messages from 82344.  Never heard of them or signed up for anything with them.  I tried dialling the 08458693452 number above and it was dead.  I dialled 01172050110 and was assured that the problem would stop.  I don't want to be too cynical, but I suspect there might be some flying pigs around before it does.  If it doesn't stop, what can I do?

hey you just have to reply back with a text STOP to 82344 and then it will automatically stop ...

new hot babes online

is it gonna cost me money to send stop msg??

i believe a hacker sent me this text too my mobile for harassment, it's been 4years coming non/stop! never will it allow send too number stop .82344

13 unwanted messages  cost 24 pounds until i caught on hoping for refund

Just rang the company said they were called live communications - like getting blood out of a stone trying to find out their company name and the name of the foreign man who answered the phone. Doubt Ill get a refund but something definately needs done about these companies.

My husband had his bill through and found out they had charged him £25 for several messages on the same day, minutes apart. What a bloody con, he has never registered or subscribed. he has text stop to 82344 but we will have to wait and see if that works.

I do not want these calls and have no idea why they get sent to me

Please stop them as the cost is disgracefull and info useless

I have solved the problem with the 82344 numbers .  Just text the number STOP  ok. They text me back it would be stopped 24hrs,but it came back quicker to say stopped. So I do hope you others who have been charged and worried by this also can do the same.  Goodluck.

I would just like to add that i have also had several messages from this number also . And my last message cost me £5 which i think is totally unacceptable as this is not something i agreed to.I phoned the 0845 number and it is no longer in operation, so i then rang the 0117 number that some have quoted and gave them a right mouthfull and the said they would refund my money. It remains to be seen to see if they are true to their word! Is there nothing we can do to stop this !!!!