85200

Just received two texts from a company with this website - lottobytext.com  Text STOP and have had no confirmation as to if I have been removed from their list.  I never signed up to anything like this in my life, I'm only 24 and not even bothered with lottery or anything like this!  I switched to Pay as you go recently, and I hope they don't take credit from my phone in the future. How can companies get away with this sort of stuff,  jeez. :\

recieved messages from 85200 and have tried to contact them for refund but no success yet they have been charging me since nov2011 can anybody help

Ive been receiving unsolicited and unwanted calls from 85200 I text stop as requested and was charged £3.75  !!!!!!!!!!!!

Been charged a fortune and didnot subscribe!!!!

i got 15 pounds taken from my mobile phone , and i didnt know they would charge me .i send a message that they should stop but they took it right awy

How can I claim monies billed to my Orange mobile account from this number 85200.

these B********S  have ripped my mom off for nearly 30 quid,  all taken from her PAYG  mobile,  AFTER texting STOP to them

Thank you very much they owe my husband over £150 he just thought it was annoying texts until we got vodafone bill Arghhh they said send STOP yo 85200 did this.....and did what you did customer service and could not speak to anyone, so thanks for that number, I shall phone them thanks to you great Isabelle x

I would like my money back immediately!!!!!  Over £150

I would like the texts from this number to stop as they aren costing me £4 per text.

I have received several texts from this number - with Lotto Results in them.

I have never asked for these texts or subscribed to anything asking for these texts but suddenly started receiving them.

I noticed with the last one that my phone credit had suddenly jumped from £10.00 in credit to 80p.

Now i realize this has been happening before and was wondering why my phone credit (pay as you go) was being eaten up so quickly and i was having to top up more regularly than before - when i haven't made any calls!

My only question is - how do i stop this? Who do I report this to?
thanks

You can stop these messages by e-mailing current employees of Lottobytext's owner, Marketing Craze Ltd. to request that they stop.

Current employees include: mark.lewis@marketingcraze.com , serenna.siew@marketingcraze.com , martin.giraud@marketingcraze.com , rashmi.patel@marketingcraze.com

I did this and did manage to get them to stop.

Mark Lewis appears to own the company (according to what I can find on the internet), so if you need to demand money back, he's the person to talk to. There are also contact phone numbers for Customer Services on the marketing Craze website.

i had this but found out how to stop it, you need to send "STOP ALL" to 82500 and that should work and must be in capitals i think.

After a few months I have finally googled 85200 to find the cause of this rip off .

It is a shame that it is hard to find out  how to complain & get a refund  .

Changes need to be made & more info circulated .

Thanks

I've just noticed I've been charged and have contacted orange.  They are going to waive my charges and have told me to reply STOP to next text.  They have also adivsed me never to reply to a five numbered text again.  I cant beleive this company can get away with this.  I never even opened the later texts.

PhonepayPlus has just fined LottobyText £250,000 for this scam.

http://www.phonepayplus-services.org.uk/output/search-adjudications.aspx

06 December 2012
Information provider     Marketing Craze Limited
Service provider     IMImobile Europe Limited

BACKGROUND

Between 3 October 2011 and 28 November 2012, the Executive received 267 complaints in relation to a subscription-based competition service (the “Service”) operated by the Level 2 provider, Marketing Craze Limited. The Service operated on shortcodes 85200, 87770 and 82526.

Complainants generally stated that they had not consented to be charged, or that they had been misled into entering the Service

SANCTIONS

Initial Overall Assessment

The Service had a clear and highly detrimental impact, directly or indirectly, on consumers.
• The Service had the sole purpose of generating high revenues and did so through intentional or recklessly misleading promotions.

The Tribunal’s initial assessment was that, overall, the breach was very serious.

Sanctions Imposed

Having regard to all the circumstances of the case including the level of consumer harm and the fact that consumers were misled on a large scale, the Tribunal decided to impose the following sanctions:

• A fine of £250,000; and
• A requirement that the Level 2 provider must refund all consumers who claim a refund,

From the Daily Mirror, about Marketing Craze Limited being fined £250,000 by PhonepayPlus

http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/investigations/2012 ... er-fine-fo.html

Lotto scam nets bumper fine for Marketing Craze

BY ANDREW PENMAN ON DECEMBER 21, 2012 3:03 PM IN CHARITY

Lottery text message firm Marketing Craze Limited has been fined £250,000 by PhonepayPlus, the watchdog for the premium rate phoneline industry.

The "service" run by the firm involved entering customers into the National Lottery, though they were not told that they'd be part of a syndicate with 48 other subscribers. It charged £4.50 a week.

As an inducement to join, potential subscribers were offered five "free" entries in one of the lottery draws.

The watchdog received 267 complaints from people who said that they had not consented to be charged, or that they had been misled into entering the service and did not appreciate that they would incur premium rate charges. It ruled "consumers were misled on a large scale".

Marketing Craze, which operated on the shortcode numbers 85200, 87770 and 82526, is based in London and run by Rashmi Patel, Mark Lewis and Derick Peters.

It raked in victims through coldcalls. Here's the sales script:
Caller - C: How are you today sir?
Recipient - R: How are you?
C: I'm fine sir, thank you for your concern. Actually sir, my name is REDACTED and I'm calling from REDACTED. Don't worry; I'm not trying to sell you anything, sir. I just need your valued opinion on some brands of United Kingdom and I promise I will be very quick. Is that ok to you sir?
R: OK
C: Thank you sir. Before I proceed further I can confirm some of your basic details sir. Correct me if I am wrong. Here I have got your address as REDACTED - Am I correct?
R: Yes
C: And your first Name will be sir?
R: My first name? REDACTEDED
C: REDACTED, can you spell for me?
R: REDACTED
C: OK, and your last name will be?
R: REDACTED
C: Can you spell for me?
R: REDACTED
C: OK, that's wonderful. OK, here we go. So the companies will contact you with any interest that you have sir, is that OK?
R: Yes, that's fine.
C: So, would you like to receive five free lines in the next national or euromillions lottery draw sent directly to your mobile phone, would that be of interest?
R: Maybe, yes.
C: OK, to send you these five free lines can I have your mobile number?
R: REDACTED
C: [Repeats sections while R provides the number and then] OK sir I will repeat it: REDACTED, am I correct?
R: Yes
C: As part of this deal you will receive five free lines which is absolutely free. After these five free lines if you want to continue with this service you will receive 15 lines sent to your mobile for just four pounds fifty pence per week after your free trial from LottobyText. And if you don't want to continue with this service you can unsubscribe at any time by sending STOP to the text, OK?
R: OK.

Charged 4,50 for each txt and txtin stop and stop all made no difference. Finally the 85200 txts stopped and I thought it was sorted, alas I received a txt from a slightly different 5 digit number starting 85 and off we went again at 4,50 per txt. My supplier said I'd have to change my number as the party txtin me "wouldn't let go". Bloody annoyed was an understatement but I had to do as the supplier said just to get away.

I have unsubscribed from this yet today 9th of january 2013 i have had 14.00 taken of me i want my money back this is a joke

85200 this company got my number by fraudulent means and has been stealing money from my vodaphone account since.how do i stop it?how do i prosecute them?