Lethbridge Linux User Group - Cell phone text scammer used up all my Pay & Talk minutes, stole $6 from me

LinuxGuru writes "If you have a cell phone you will want to protect your self from scammers.

My wife and I were out of town on the weekend and normally turn off our cell phones when we travel. When we got back all my wife's minutes on her Pay & Talk Telus phone were all used up. She does not use the phone much so I have it set to refill each month for $10 off my credit card. I know she did not use her phone that much so I went on the Telus web site to check the billing details.

Her phone had been billed for 3 text messages at a cost of $2 each. Many LUG members have talked in the past about how the big cell phone companies in Canada had changed to billing customers for receiving text message but those fees where about $0.25 per message. It looks like the sender of these messages is able to collect the rest of the fee and they have a program that sends out these messages to cell phone users without their permission. This is a great scam, they could be stealing from millions of Canadian cell phone users.

Most people I talk to about the text message billing on cell phones believe that the cell phone companies will not allow you to disable text messages but they do. I was on the phone for about an hour before I was able to get to a human working in technical support at Telus and he was able to turn off all text messaging for my wife's Pay & Talk phone.

I tried with no success to get the money back but because this is a pay before you use service the money is gone. Telus does not keep details on text messages on Pay & Talk phones, or so I was told. My other phone is on a contract that I would be able to refuse payment on if scam happens to that number.

If you don't use text messaging call your service provider and have it disabled. If you do then watch your bill closely, this criminal will strike again."