Register of 19 premium SMS numbers?

Is there an easy way to find out who owns a 19 SMS number? My wife has
been hit with the "enter a competition and get subscribed" scam to the
tune of nearly $40 on our latest bill - and she's apparently still
subscribed! The number is 193 666 but I can't find any reference to it
via google.

Is it worth trying to contest this? It's time someone steps in and
regulates the mobile content subscription industry. Some of the ads I
see on TV end up charging you over $50 per month if you don't realise
you have to unsubscribe. In this case I don't think my wife was even
receiving any meaningful content, just an invitation to enter the next
contest - and each invitation msg she received was charged $3.18...

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› See More: Register of 19 premium SMS numbers?

Who is your carrier? Telstra?

in the USA there isn't one but a guy set up this site as a privately run
group www.usshortcodeswhois.com

I'm surprised someone hasn't done something similar in Australia.

I'm also surprised Australia hasn't required a double opt-in as a method of
preventing this crap.


Dean

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Is there an easy way to find out who owns a 19 SMS number? My wife has
> been hit with the "enter a competition and get subscribed" scam to the
> tune of nearly $40 on our latest bill - and she's apparently still
> subscribed! The number is 193 666 but I can't find any reference to it
> via google.
>
> Is it worth trying to contest this? It's time someone steps in and
> regulates the mobile content subscription industry. Some of the ads I
> see on TV end up charging you over $50 per month if you don't realise
> you have to unsubscribe. In this case I don't think my wife was even
> receiving any meaningful content, just an invitation to enter the next
> contest - and each invitation msg she received was charged $3.18...
>

Spokes wrote:
> Who is your carrier? Telstra?

Optus. I know they can provide the info (we had a premium inbound SMS
charged to a virtual number that wasn't associated with a SIM - figure
that one out?) but I'm probably not going to have much luck getting the
info on a friday night or the weekend.

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Is there an easy way to find out who owns a 19 SMS number? My wife has
> been hit with the "enter a competition and get subscribed" scam to the
> tune of nearly $40 on our latest bill - and she's apparently still
> subscribed! The number is 193 666 but I can't find any reference to it
> via google.
>
> Is it worth trying to contest this? It's time someone steps in and
> regulates the mobile content subscription industry. Some of the ads I
> see on TV end up charging you over $50 per month if you don't realise
> you have to unsubscribe. In this case I don't think my wife was even
> receiving any meaningful content, just an invitation to enter the next
> contest - and each invitation msg she received was charged $3.18...

I'm not a fan of over regulation, but if we must regulate something then it
had better be these premium SMS blood sucking parasites. I think I posted my
woes about being involuntarily being subscribed on a website that accepted
any mobile number without proof it was the person entering it.

Anyway now I too have been hit by the competition-and-get-subscribed scam; I
was stupid enough to see a competition on TV and give in to the "what the
heck" impulse. Ever since I keep getting "follow up" trivia questions etc...
no "to opt out REPLY STOP" at the end of the SMS or anything like that.
Before Rod Speed and the like accuse me of being pig-ignorant, I did read
the blurry fine print on screen..

[email protected] wrote:
> Is there an easy way to find out who owns a 19 SMS number? My wife has
> been hit with the "enter a competition and get subscribed" scam to the
> tune of nearly $40 on our latest bill - and she's apparently still
> subscribed! The number is 193 666 but I can't find any reference to it
> via google.
>
> Is it worth trying to contest this? It's time someone steps in and
> regulates the mobile content subscription industry. Some of the ads I
> see on TV end up charging you over $50 per month if you don't realise
> you have to unsubscribe. In this case I don't think my wife was even
> receiving any meaningful content, just an invitation to enter the next
> contest - and each invitation msg she received was charged $3.18...
>

The number appears to be owned by Netsize Pty Ltd.
Their website (netsize.com) gives a contact number of 1300650521 for
their Australian office.

-Nick

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Is there an easy way to find out who owns a 19 SMS number? My wife has
> been hit with the "enter a competition and get subscribed" scam to the
> tune of nearly $40 on our latest bill - and she's apparently still
> subscribed! The number is 193 666 but I can't find any reference to it

Message STOP back to the number.

> via google.
>
> Is it worth trying to contest this? It's time someone steps in and

Yes

> regulates the mobile content subscription industry. Some of the ads I
> see on TV end up charging you over $50 per month if you don't realise
> you have to unsubscribe. In this case I don't think my wife was even

Its absolutely ridiculous I agree, $10 per message per week is crap

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Spokes wrote:
> > Who is your carrier? Telstra?
>
> Optus. I know they can provide the info (we had a premium inbound SMS
> charged to a virtual number that wasn't associated with a SIM - figure
> that one out?) but I'm probably not going to have much luck getting the
> info on a friday night or the weekend.

With Telstra, the vendor of the service appears on your bill with a contact
number. Not sure whether Optus provide this service
>

"Michael" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]
> <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> Spokes wrote:
>>> Who is your carrier? Telstra?
>>
>> Optus. I know they can provide the info (we had a premium inbound SMS
>> charged to a virtual number that wasn't associated with a SIM -
>> figure that one out?) but I'm probably not going to have much luck
>> getting the info on a friday night or the weekend.
>
> With Telstra, the vendor of the service appears on your bill with a
> contact number.

Which means **** all. The charge appears on your bill from Telstra. As it's
their bill, *they* are the ones who have to justify the charge. The onus is
not on the end user to chase it up.

--
Kwyj

Michael wrote:
> <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Spokes wrote:
> > > Who is your carrier? Telstra?
> >
> > Optus. I know they can provide the info (we had a premium inbound SMS
> > charged to a virtual number that wasn't associated with a SIM - figure
> > that one out?) but I'm probably not going to have much luck getting the
> > info on a friday night or the weekend.
>
> With Telstra, the vendor of the service appears on your bill with a contact
> number. Not sure whether Optus provide this service

Nup. We didn't even get an itemisation of each SMS - just a msg count,
unit cost and total $. Pretty poor really. I only found out the number
by getting my wife to check her phone.

When we had the premium SMS sent to a virtual number the person at
Optus was a little "reluctant" to refund the charge and then said it
was as a goodwill gesture. This was after I had explained that the
number in question was not even linked to a mobile phone or a SIM card;
it's a back2base number which allows us to call a specified landline
for a lower rate. Hopefully I won't be greeted with the same
"enthusiasm" when I call them about this scam......

"Kwyjibo." <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Michael" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]
> > <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]...
> >> Spokes wrote:
> >>> Who is your carrier? Telstra?
> >>
> >> Optus. I know they can provide the info (we had a premium inbound SMS
> >> charged to a virtual number that wasn't associated with a SIM -
> >> figure that one out?) but I'm probably not going to have much luck
> >> getting the info on a friday night or the weekend.
> >
> > With Telstra, the vendor of the service appears on your bill with a
> > contact number.
>
> Which means **** all. The charge appears on your bill from Telstra. As
it's
> their bill, *they* are the ones who have to justify the charge. The onus
is
> not on the end user to chase it up.

Sorry, not how it stands at present for any carrier

> > > > Who is your carrier? Telstra?
> > >
> > > Optus. I know they can provide the info (we had a premium inbound SMS
> > > charged to a virtual number that wasn't associated with a SIM - figure
> > > that one out?) but I'm probably not going to have much luck getting
the
> > > info on a friday night or the weekend.
> >
> > With Telstra, the vendor of the service appears on your bill with a
contact
> > number. Not sure whether Optus provide this service
>
> Nup. We didn't even get an itemisation of each SMS - just a msg count,
> unit cost and total $. Pretty poor really. I only found out the number
> by getting my wife to check her phone.

Im talking about post bill, are you?
If so, thats pretty crap billing from Optus

Josh B wrote:

> But ask your carrier. If it's Telstra they are about to change their
> policy to take up these matters on behalf of their customers. Previously
> they told their customers to contact the service provider in question.

Which is the way it should be! The company that is billing you are the
one's that have to justify the expense, especially when they let these
premium services hide behind them with **** all accountability and
bugger contact details!


--
The views I present are that of my own and NOT of any organisation I may
belong to.
http://web.acma.gov.au/pls/radcom/cl...IENT_NO=157452

73 de Simon, VK3XEM.

Michael <[email protected]> wrote:
> "Kwyjibo." <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> "Michael" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]
>>> <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>> news:[email protected]...
>>>> Spokes wrote:
>>>>> Who is your carrier? Telstra?
>>>>
>>>> Optus. I know they can provide the info (we had a premium inbound
>>>> SMS charged to a virtual number that wasn't associated with a SIM -
>>>> figure that one out?) but I'm probably not going to have much luck
>>>> getting the info on a friday night or the weekend.
>>>
>>> With Telstra, the vendor of the service appears on your bill with a
>>> contact number.
>>
>> Which means **** all. The charge appears on your bill from Telstra.
>> As it's their bill, *they* are the ones who have to justify the
>> charge. The onus is not on the end user to chase it up.
>
> Sorry, not how it stands at present for any carrier

Irrelevant to the law on that, you stupid pig ignorant dunny cleaning ****wit child.

Josh B wrote:
> But ask your carrier. If it's Telstra they are about to change their
> policy to take up these matters on behalf of their customers. Previously
> they told their customers to contact the service provider in question.

If they do that, then go direct to the TIO. It's the only way to get the
telecos to listen. Don't waste your time attempting to contact the scammers.