I bit the bullet and text 'STOP ALL'. (Hopefully) stopping the premium rate service that I never asked for. It cost me 10p which is a measly amount but that's not the point - I had to give money to fraudsters in order to not be defrauded out of even more! These were the instructions of the industry regulator!
Now I've come to the real challenge. I want my £1.50 (plus that 10p) refunded. To do this I need to contact the scam artists on a premium rate number. I'm now willing to do this. However, it's just dawned on me that I have to give them my address in order to receive a cheque from them. It's bad enough these thieves have my mobile phone number, I don't want them to have my address too.
Isn't it common sense to not give out your address to criminals? I've learnt over the past week that some of these reverse-charge shortcode scams are connected to organised crime, money launderers and generally unsavoury figures. Yet the phone companies and regulators advise us to contact these people in order to get a refund and to do so we have to give them our addresses!
I still want my money back, even if it is just £1.60 - but it's way too risky giving these guys my address for that amount. I'm going to have to pester 3 (my mobile company) for the money instead. Meanwhile, I'm gonna dig even deeper into Spread Media's dodgy dealings (another reason why I don't want them to have my address!)