Texters beware!

[MotherBear]

Hamilton pair fuming over TV text rip-off
By MARY ANNE GILL - Waikato Times | Thursday, 11 January 2007

A Hamilton woman who entered a television text competition is fuming that her mobile phone provider refuses to do anything to stop money being taken from her.

The bill to date is $30 and it is rising. Jenny Bartley said the television advertisements encouraged people to text a number and answer a simple quiz question. They then go into a draw to win PlayStations, televisions, Xboxes etc.

Her husband texted once when the ads first came out. When he got a response and realised these led to several questions he had to answer which would cost him $3 each time, he decided to stop it. He did not think he had subscribed to anything.

Read the story here .

TEXT MESSAGING SCAMS ON THE RISE IN NZ

He should have read the small print on the screen then! There is a heap of expensive text things going on though, like really rubbish sound effects. They tell you to text the name of the effect you want to get that one, but at the bottom it says you'll be charged for 3 or 4 texts per month until you text 'Stop' to the same number to unsubscribe.

I expect many kids are getting caught out by that and losing a lot of money through them.