Premium Text Message Waiting

[Kiota]

I just received a message saying I have a Premium text message waiting and that I have insufficient credit, even though I have the 'Premium rate information text bar' turned on. I have been plagued by these text scams before which is why I switched to Vodafone. Will I be charged if I top-up?

[BandOfBrothers]

Hi,

If this was my situation I would be wary of accepting / opening up the text unless your expecting something. 

Especially if I'd been hit before like you have. 

[AnnS]

Hi @Kiota

You mention nthat you were plagued with these awful texts before your joined Vodafone.  If that is correct, before you changed to Vodafone, the messages should have been stopped on your previous network.  If they were not stopped, the texts would have been with the number and continued when you ported.

Although you have enabled the charge to account bar from your online account, the first thing to do is to have a live chat and ask them to make sure the restriction for reverse charge messages are active on your account.  

If the messages continue, you will need to contact the regulator to find the information for the company sending the messages,  http://psauthority.org.uk/ and get your money back direct from the sender.

There is further information below.

How can I stop premium rate services being accessed from my phone?

[Kiota]

I didn't keep my old phone number when I switched to Vodafone.

I don't know why I keep getting these Premium rate texts. I never give out my phone number online and I don't respond to unsolicited text messages. I guess it could be a dodgy app that I have downloaded...

I logged into my Vodafone account and the block is defintely still switched on.

The message that said I had a Premium Text Message Waiting appeared when I unlocked my phone. It wasn't a text message.

[AnnS]

Hi @Kiota

If you received the message as soon as you unlocked the phone and started using the service, I wouldn't be surprised if you have a recycled number where the previous user was receiving these unwanted messages.

The bars should stop the texts but it may be that the number was already subscribed to the service.

As you are PAYG, if the number is not important to you, a new SIM card with a different number may solve this for you.  If you go the new SIM route, it will mean opening a new PAYG account and setting up bars online and through live chat.

[Annie_N]

@Kiota

Bizarrely, I had one of these messages recently, after I sent a POINTS text to 27822, to discover whether I still had any Rewards Points on a number I've had for some while but I'm not really using any longer. I got my reply from 27822, as expected, but I also saw a message, although I couldn't quite figure out where it was, saying that I had a premium text waiting from 27822, and that I'd have to top up in order to view it. There was a fairly short expiry date on the message, and there was no way I was going to top up in order to discover what it was about, but I wasn't very happy that it appeared to come from Vodafone.

If you get any more of these messages, could you take a screenshot and post it here, or make a note of the exact wording and post that here?

[Claretash]

I have just received a message also but it wasn't a text it came up on the screen whilst the phone was charging saying 'there was a premium message waiting from vodafone but there were insufficient credit'. I am on PAYG and have over £20 credit!  There was also a text from vodafone, which begins 'Hello, we'd love your . . .' That is all I can see on my (not a smart) phone, which I have NOT opened! 

What do I do now?

[Annie_N]

@Claretash

I don't quite understand it, but I've had an email notification that you had posted on this thread, but I can't see the post! Have you failed to authenticate your email address on the forum by any chance? If so, you shouldn't have been able to post, but I'm very puzzled!

Your wording was:

I have just received a message also but it wasn't a text it came up on the screen whilst the phone was charging saying 'there was a premium message waiting from vodafone but there were insufficient credit'. I am on PAYG and have over £20 credit!  There was also a text from vodafone, which begins 'Hello, we'd love your . . .' That is all I can see on my (not a smart) phone, which I have NOT opened! 

What do I do now?

The only thing I can think of is that I've received a couple of emails recently from Vodafone, offering some additional data if I use the My Vodafone app to give feedback. If you don't have a smartphone, and don't use data, they may be offering you something different, but in that case sending something that might require a data connection to read it seems pretty daft! I'd suggest that you leave the text message alone for the moment, as we don't know what it can be about. In the meantime, I'll see if I can discover anything.

[Claretash]

Thanks. Yes, I hadn't registered but all done now.

It isn't because I have a new number/sim card either, I've had it years!

I use the phone for mainly texting and receiving calls, very rarely I make a call.

Once again thanks, I'll keep checking back for any more info on here.

[Kiota]

OK, it appeared again when I tried logging into Amazon using their two-step verification. It said there was a premium message waiting from Amazon but I have insufficient credit (I have £2 in credit and the text messages they send are free of charge).

The text message didn't come through so I tried again and it worked.

Very strange.