Premium SMS Dating scam leads vulnerable victim into trouble with the law
The Argus reports on a 45 year old Hove man, suffering from Aspergers Syndrome and living in supported accommodation, who after being continually ripped off by a SMS Dating scam sent a threatening message to try and get the service to stop sending him premium rate text messages which he did not want.
Scam Dating services are notorious for targeting the vulnerable with misleading and deceptive services but SMS makes it much easier, and disreputable companies are found to be flaunting the regulations by continuing to charge customers even after receiving the “STOP” command, or indeed selling on the mobile numbers of subscribers so that other companies can scam the same subscriber once they’ve stopped.
In a last ditch attempt to stop the arrival of premium SMS’s the man sent a threatening email which ended up being received by a complete stranger who called the police. The man was subsequently arrested and a court sentenced him to a 3 year community order.
Whilst i have every sympathy for the stranger who became involved in this mans attempt to stop the scammers stealing credit from his mobile bill, I’ve pointed to the ridiculousness of these SMS Dating scams before and this incident gives one more reason why there should be regulations on how misleading advertising campaigns are able to target some of the most vulnerable members of our society.
As a positive note to end this more and more mobile operators are allowing customers to set up blocks for all premium SMS services, if you’d like this just call your customer service number. It may stop you placing votes for things like TV quiz shows or buying ringtones but you will still be able to use all the services of The 3G Dating Agency (BECAUSE WE NEVER SEND PREMIUM SMS OR CHARGE SUBSCRIPTIONS)
