Recent Mobile Phone Scams - Advice
30 January, 2013
Mobile Phone Scam - when it’s not “good to talk”…
Clearly there has been a very busy little bee calling a large number of the Irish population over the last few days (myself included). Whilst I wondered about who could be ringing me at 00.31 on a Sunday morning I thanked Providence for protecting my not so unwitting caller as my phone was not on the bedside locker when the call was made. Woes betide the person to wake me out of my sleep, scam call or no scam call.
Obviously I was not the only one as the amount of people posting on a variety of websites would suggest that we are a nation of people who enthusiastically return calls to all and sundry. Well we are a friendly breed, or so I’m told.
Throughout Saturday night and Sunday morning, thousands of people received missed calls from a number which started with the prefix 386. Many called the number back presuming that it came from an Irish 086 number. Of course now we know that it was a premium number line in Slovenia.
Some of those who returned the calls were cut off as soon as the original connection was made while others were connected to telephone sex lines.
Com Reg
I understand that ComReg has since blocked the line and have warned people to be aware of such scams. They are also stepping in to ensure that the company behind the calls would not get paid.
Following on from this it is believed that the network providers may not charge consumers for the call or have the call charge reimbursed. This is based on the logic that if those who are responsible do not get paid by their provider, then the Irish networks will not have to pay any money and consumers will have the call charges reimbursed. This makes sense to me.
If you returned one of these calls, and you are not the only one, you should contact your phone provider to see what, if any, charges have been incurred. It is worth making the argument outlined above if your network is trying to charge you and if they insist on doing so you should let them know you shall be contacting ComReg. ComReg may be contacted at mailto:Consumerline@comreg.ie or telephone 01 804 9668 / 1890 229668
It’s not the first time and it won’t be the last
Phone scams are becoming a regular feature in the mobile phone worlds. I seem to recall that last year ComReg considered banning calls to and from some sub-Saharan countries where a scam facilitated many consumers having their call credit stolen.
At the time consumers were advised not to answer or return missed calls to unknown foreign phone numbers. The scam artists have got cuter of course, as they do, and are now using numbers that look like Irish ones.
With that in mind if you do receive a call or a text that looks a bit strange you should call ComReg who monitor these activities so that they can take the necessary steps to protect not alone you but other mobile phone users.
Virginia Harrington
Solicitor at Niall Murphy and Company
www.murphyslaw.ie