[plug] Mobile phone scam - Beware

[Jonathan Young]

Business mobile users often call back missed calls in case it was a
paying customer who is in danger of going elsewhere.  I don't
personally since I have a message service and expect people to use it,
but a lot of people do.

Secondly, I would take it up with my mobile phone carrier (and quite
frankly refuse to pay) if a number starting with an 02 or 03 area code
and followed by 8 digits making up a normal "land line" was charged at
anything other than the normal rate.

If I see a number in the format (02) xxxx xxxx or (03) xxxx xxxx, there
is no way it should cost me any more than I'd expect.  That is the
whole reason we are provided different rates for different numbers by
our phone provider and expected to be able to pick the difference
between a mobile, land line, international, STD call etc. etc.  I don't
see how this scam can even work.

And as for TV news current affairs, well... What can I say?

When a particular virus gets air time does that make it any more
important than any of the other hundreds that you don't hear about in
the popular media?  Slow news day, someone in their office encountered
or any number of other reasons why they consider it to be 'news'
doesn't mean I am going to take it as gospel or give it any more time
or thought than if I read it/see it/hear it anywhere else...


On 6/14/2006, "Patrick Coleman" <blinken at gmail.com> wrote:

>On 6/14/06, Timothy White <weirdit at gmail.com> wrote:
>> On 6/14/06, Cameron Patrick <cameron at patrick.wattle.id.au> wrote:
>> > > Got proof? Don't make a claim like this, without proof; these hoaxes
>> > > rely on claims that it's true, without supporting evidence.
>> >
>> > The calls from those numbers are real and have been going on for a while
>> > now.  I got one about 6 months ago.  I didn't call back, and I would
>> > surprised if it did cost more than a normal STD call[1] - my
>> > understanding was the 'premium' numbers like the message refers to have
>> > to have a special area code and whatnot.  I have no evidence to support
>> > _that_ claim, though.
>>
>> That was my understanding as well. Anyone good at tracing numbers like
>> that... I'm tempted to call Telstra, and enquire about it, and if
>> those numbers are more than a normal STD call, then start complaining,
>> and blogging, and what else ;-)
>>
>> Tim
>
>I was under the impression that you have to be notified if the call is
>going to be premium - something along the lines of "If you proceed
>past this beep, you will be charged x <beep>".
>
>Otherwise I can understand perfectly why people would call back -
>often people use their mobiles for business and its generally
>considered good form to call back, because the person who called you
>might have been a potential customer :)
>
>-Patrick
>
>--
>http://www.labyrinthdata.net.au
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