Unauthorized Cell Phone Charges? You’re Not Alone!
Were you charged on your wireless cell phone bill for mobile content subscriptions or services (i.e., ringtones, games, joke a day messages, premium text messaging services, SMS text alerts, horoscopes, etc.) that you never authorized, ordered nor wanted (nor ever received)?
If you were, you are definitely not alone. Thousands of cell phone subscribers have shared their stories and experiences about this emerging problem facing cell phone customers and users nationwide. And they are not happy.
Mystery Charges? Phantom Billings?
Cell phone users have complained about mysterious or phantom charges appearing on their cell phone bills and accounts out of the blue, charges they claim were never authorized, for mobile content services and subscriptions they never heard of, from mobile content companies and merchants they often never knew existed, and for products they never wanted nor ever even received. These customers are upset, and rightly so.
They claim that money has literally been stolen away from them by their mobile telephone carriers and wireless service providers, from billing agents and billing aggregators and the mobile content providers or merchants, all of whom share in such premium SMS content revenues.
The “Third Party Charge” Wild Goose Chase
Cell phone customers say that when they call to complain (if they are lucky enough to find contact information and are able to actually speak to a human — a rarity) they are usually told that they simply must have authorized it. Ya right. They then are sent on a wild goose chase from carrier, to billing aggregator and to content provider, each of whom blame the other for the unauthorized third party charges.
Sometimes credits or refunds are given, usually weeks or months later — after persistent calls, complaints and customer threats — and then typically only partially, with the customer getting credits and refunds for only a small portion of the unauthorized charges. Of course, the customer will have spent considerable and valuable time uncovering, understanding and disputing the fraudulent charges.
The Cancellation | Un-Subscription Problem
Unfortunately, the charges are typically recurring (renewing each week, month, etc.), so the cycle repeats, unless the customer is lucky (and persistent enough) to be able to cancel or unsubscribe from the mobile content subscription that the cell phone customer was never subscribed to in the first place. Ironic, isn’t it?
The cell phone customers say that they are told to send an outgoing or reply text message (which typically costs them more money) to the content provider’s five (5) digit short code with words like stop, end, cancel, quit, unsubscribe, etc. Some users have reported getting more unauthorized charges (and more SMS text spam) after doing so. Others have reported being told that they were never subscribed to such services (well why were they being charged then?).
Some users are told that before they can cancel they need to provide their cell phone numbers and other personal information (addresses, etc.) to the billing aggregators and agents and mobile content providers — the same companies that charged them for products and services without authorization or permission (or spammed them with SMS text messages, etc.).
Tip of the Iceberg?
And these are just some of the stories we have heard…
If you were you charged on your wireless cell phone bill for mobile content subscriptions or services (i.e., ringtones, games, joke a day messages, premium text messaging services, SMS text alerts, horoscopes, etc.) that you never authorized, ordered or received, remember this:
You are not alone!
If you haven’t been hit yet with these unauthorized charges, god bless you (though, please keep your fingers crossed). If you are like everyone else and haven’t shared your story yet, please do so below.
–Report Unauthorized Cell Phone Charges–
Thumbplay added to my ATT cell phone bill when i HAVE NEVER USED nor ordered it.
March 16th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
My son’s cellphone has been hit by both Dada and Blinko. In both cases he had no idea he was subscribing to something - he thought the PIN they texted him was just to enable him to view available ringers. In both cases it took phone calls to both Sprint and Dada or Blinko to get the $10/month billings to stop.
April 4th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
How do I unsubscribe on my verizon phone from this not wanted service.
April 9th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
I recently noticed a charge from Thumbplay on my Verizon bill, after looking further into it, this has been going on since Nov. 2007. A charge of $9.99 a month from a company I have never heard of, charging me for a service I never authorized. Who knows how long this has really been going on? I contacted Verizon, they credited me for 1 month (last month) then they put a block on my phone so this won’t happen again. How does this happen to people?
April 15th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Received a $9.99 premium service billing for Red Fish Alerts on my Verizon bill. To Verizon’s credit, the on-hold wait time was VERY short, the rep VERY courteous and the resolution VERY fast. Now I ask the question….why the %&*% did Verizon allow it to happen in the first place?!
April 28th, 2008 at 10:43 am
charged 9.99 on verizon bill for ‘premium texting’. called Verizon who state it was 3rd part - said I ordered on phone - NOT - dada.net sent a txt msg to ME - I replied STOP!!!! Tried to cancel 5 times via my phone but dada kept replying ‘unable to process your requeset’. I want to know how and why Verizon (or any other cell company)takes bogus charges from these companies to put on MY bill - why does it go to Verizon - what ‘deal’ does verizon and these bogus companies have? I just don’t get how this happens?? AND there are no laws to protect us.
May 19th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
paying 9.99 a month for something I didn`t use
June 5th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
Being billed 9.99 for something I didn`t use
June 5th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
I was billed $9.99 a month for 4 months by New Motion Inc. Bid4Prizes. I called AT&T and they removed 2 montsh worth of charges but would not credit me back the rest. Also They wouldn’t credit me back for the $5 late payment charge which I wouldn’t have incurred if they had not allowed this other company to bill me for something I didn’t authorize.
June 12th, 2008 at 9:16 am
My cell phone bill has the wrong dates of when calls were made. The calls were made but a few weeks earlier and a different billing period. Company advised they have never heard of this before. Am I getting scammed somehow and has then been heard of before? Thanks, ebbdeel@comcast.net
June 26th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
Never subscribed, keep getting their texts to my cell! No clue how I got on this screwy thing! Praying it stops (have responded with STOP to 26706 and received text back saying I’ve canceled).
July 7th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Called Sprint - they are blocking content from enmob.com from now on and are applying for refund on my behalf (keeping fingers crossed). Good thing I caught it right away - charged me 9.99 this month for something I never subscribed to! Unbelievable that they can get away with this!
July 7th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
Sprint now just told me they actually charged me for two 9.99 services and two 2.99 services this month! Sheesh!
July 7th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
WHAT THE HELL
July 7th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
called thumbplay who said my mom (who barely reads english and doesn’t know how to text) went to thumbplay and texted the confirmation. checked bill and 0 texts were sent/received on mom’s phone. i smell a rat.
July 15th, 2008 at 12:28 am
Please let me know how I can joing the class action law suit because T-Mobile will not refund $100. in charges.
July 27th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
I just received my Sprint Bill and had $29.00 in unauthorized charges from Emexus. I am so angry and I know how sprint is so there is really no point in holding forever to get no satisfaction as far as a credit to my phonebill for this. If there is a class action on this I would love to participate.
July 31st, 2008 at 4:11 pm
i have a verizon phone and i was wondering why i was missing minutes when i just had bought minutes from my phone and if this continues it wont be pretty for that website i tried stopping it but it just send me another txt now my minutes are gone thanks assholes
August 2nd, 2008 at 5:34 am
I started receiving daily horoscopes and monthy charges of 19.99 from m-cube appeared on my AT & T bill. When I called AT&T they removed the charges and blocked activity by the provider.
August 7th, 2008 at 8:57 am
We are on a family plan, and I did not notice the extra charges on my son’s phone right off, so for about six months they charged his # 20.00 extra and then I added my daughter in July, and wondered why it was so much more than expected–the next month it was even MORE — I spent two hours contacting Alltel and asking them to remove these and they said they were legitimate third-party charges and my children must have “let someone else play with their phone” since they insist they had no idea about all this. They promised they would block further charges from different vendors, but their hands were tied as to blocking the ones already on there. I had a supervisor walk my children through the process of removing this access from the third parties already charging. It took about twenty minutes for my son, and they never did find the third-party on my daughter’s phone. Still, Alltel says they can’t do anything for us–no refund, even though they couldn’t find the third-party service on my 13-year-old phone! At best this is deceptive, at worst, Alltel is in bed with and engaged in wholesale defrauding of minors. I have the Alltel supervisor’s name and ID. I intend to send a registered letter to Alltel to complain, but I wish someone more powerful would take them on. They basically thumb their noses at us and they know we’ll pay, because it’s not worth it.
August 30th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
I was billed from at@t wireless for mobile to mobile minutes that was suppose to be free. They charged me 119.00, said i went over my minutes. when i received the bill i called them they said they were going to straighten it out, but never did. i was being charged overage for mobile to mobile minutes that was suppose to be free.
September 8th, 2008 at 9:28 am
emexus still keep texting me dare not turn my phone on how do you stop them. i have text stop to 5 numbers that i got of this page but it did not work help?
September 11th, 2008 at 8:25 am
I suddenly started to receive text messages from Predicto and Sendme inc. I just deleted them and thought nothing of it till this month I two $9.99 charges are on my AT@T bill. When I called ATT they told me that i must have subscribed and I have to pay. I’m not going to pay even if they cut off my service - I won’t pay..
October 14th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
keep receiving text messages from +27831000113 which take R5.00 everyday, how do i stop this? It is expensive and annoying.
from South Africa
October 24th, 2008 at 8:40 am
I noticed charges on two phone numbers in my account. One for Bid4Prizes $9.99 the other for some entertainment group $19.99 and $9.99. These charges have been going on for 5 months. Shame on me for not noticing.
I called AT&T, they reversed 2 months worth, blocked all downloads for free and gave me no hassle at all.
The people at these scam unauthorized places should be ashamed of themselves, but I am more ashamed of myself not checking over my bill even when I noticed it went up. My mother who noted ever long distance call she made and double checked it with her bill each month, is rolling over in her grave right now knowing I allowed this to happen for 5 months.
November 3rd, 2008 at 2:04 pm