5 posts tagged “spread media are thieving bastards”

That's not a typo, I meant SPANNER, 'cause that's what they are... tools!  Oh, enough of my never ending wit already...

Regulate this!

I would love to hear from those of you that have had a run in with PhonepayPlus/ICSTIS maybe even OFCOM or OFTEL, PayPal or PalPlus.  Whatever they like to be called on a Tuesday!  Crikey, it's Tuesday already!

Of equal interest to me and presumably the majority of the people reading my Fraudwatch posts (remember don't have nightmares, goodnight and good luck) are the perpertrators and enablers, the likes of mBlox and the Tanla's and Spread Media's of this world.  Anyone got any stories about these less than savoury folk (oh I hate biting my tongue!)

The world (okay the UK) needs to hear your story, so please get in touch.  I know you're reading as lots of people were checking out my latest Fraudwatch posts, from across the country - and they can't all be Andrew Bud (scroll to comments for a treat) or David Shepard.

BTW for those new to my blog, Andrew Bud's company is in cahoots with the scammers and he is also The Regulator - I'll be back... to steal your money!

The Bud-dy Movie of the Year!

If you don't know the quote from my 'title' above, then I'm probably going to sound a tad on the postal side of things.  For those of you that that describes, let me put you at ease and say GO WATCH THAT MOVIE!

So, Ant, we get the title and we want to know what's grinding your gears.  Please tell us!

You want to know what really grinds my gears? And, in no particular order, here's what:

My first recording of a phone conversation hasn't gone swimmingly.  Too much feedback from using my phone hands-free with 3's CS (on 333).

Did manage to record some nuggets though, including the guy saying 3 didn't get a cut from the £1.50 charge (that's the amount I'm getting ripped off each time I get an unsolicited message).  He also claimed that neither 3, nor any other UK provider could put a block on premium messages.  Then I told him about Vodafone's announcement from earlier today.

...Right, I'm back from being on hold and speaking to the gentleman again.  He couldn't find an available manager and suggested they call me back in an hour.  I got a bit shirty and asked if there was anyone else he could put me on with either there on at 3 UK's HQ in Berks.  Well he couldn't and he didn't have numbers.  As he seemed a bit worried about me recording the conversation and was willing to give me his name, I put him at ease explaining my beef wasn't with him.  If he's giving out the wrong info, chances are that's what his been. I don't want to get him in trouble.

Anyway, now to try PhonepayPlus.  I think their phonelines are open for a while yet.  Hopefully they'll take this more serious than last time, but then again - who pays the bills?  I'll attempt to record it again, but as I'm doing it the quick and dirty way (sound recorder on my Eee, loudspeaker on handset) there's no guareentees.

Oh and if 333 guy was correct, 84566 is Spread Media.  Yep, Spread Media again!  Thieving bar stewards!  Surely they should've been barred for life?

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!)

Just a few more things to add...

The Independent on Spread

Hope The Independent don't mind me copying and pasting that, fair use and all!  Here's the link > The City Diary

And to add to that I've just found out that a company called "Equinox Agency Ltd" is behind Spread Media and I'm uncovering more and more.