Beware of this new mobile phone scam...

This is how it works...
Read more:
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/b...ever-made.html

I never reply to unknow 'missed calls' and delete them as soon as they are found. I don't want my number on someones list without my permission.

Re: Beware of this new mobile phone scam...

So if the victim does not call the number back how does that register on their bill ?
How does the scammer benefit when it would seem that the only beneficiary is the phone company ?

Re: Beware of this new mobile phone scam...

Good point Malcolm

Re: Beware of this new mobile phone scam...

Glad I have PAYG

Re: Beware of this new mobile phone scam...

Agreed, it does not add up does it?

Re: Beware of this new mobile phone scam...

My sister was a victim of this scam a few weeks ago. She found she'd been billed for over £300 for a very lengthy call abroad which she never made. She's with Vodaphone. She had to go into the shop and they sorted it out and eventually reimbursed her the money.
Nasty experience.

Re: Beware of this new mobile phone scam...

I would like to bet that all of these scam instances involve people with smart phones.

They could only register calls against your account if they have hacked your phone and/or placed a setting on it which automatically dials back the 0845 number without you knowing.

Smart phones are a huge risk imo. It is basically having a PC/Laptop in your pocket and as such it comes with all the same security issues that we've seen with computers for the past 10 years, only smart phones are still in their infancy.

With computers we are fairly savvy these days on how to stay safe. Install anti-virus, anti-malware, a good firewall, block advertising IP addresses, disable Javascripting and so on.

Now we have phones as computers so there ought to be absolutely no difference but the world is sadly chock full of saps. People buy smart phones and start using them out-of-the-box.

Cast your mind back to the history of Microsoft Windows and just think for a second how many versions of their operating system they put out that were absolutely riddled with security holes and ways for hackers to exploit them. Think how many service packs have been issued and how many security updates, they likely number in the 1000s.

So why don't people see that a smart phone is just a small computer with all the same issues, if not more?

Have the industry really got on top of this yet? How many people have installed MalwareBytes on their Android phone ? How many really know and understand anti-virus on their phone?

Probably not that many, they are too transfixed by the novelty of sweeping photos across the screen with their fat fingers !

The phone companies are reluctant to concede the true issue with this scam which is clearly because either the phone or the network has had a security breach and that would be bad for business.

My mother-in-law has just recently switched over to a smart phone and as I watch her struggling to find things on it and accidentally clicking things she didn't mean to (because it is touch sensitive) I know it is only a matter of time before she becomes a victim to one of these scams or total identity theft.

The moral of the story is to be sure to understand your phone in detail, get good anti-virus and anti-malware installed and stay away from website that perpetually flood you with ads and pop ups.

Re: Beware of this new mobile phone scam...

Malcolm I have absolutely no idea how it works but received a warning from a family member who got caught out like Ruthio's sister so I looked up the details and posted them .
A warning was also posted on the website of my local paper.

It sounds as though for some reason after the missed call the link stays open to the detriment of the call receiver but I don't know how or why (though in some some instances this may be accidental when a phone gets knocked in pocket or bag)

If Ofcom is investigating as the article states we will no doubt find out how it works eventually .

I don't have a smart phone only a basic one used for texting and emergencies only and I have PAYG so the most I could ever lose would be a couple of £s.

Re: Beware of this new mobile phone scam...

That's impossible !

Re: Beware of this new mobile phone scam...

I doubt we will find out at all how it works because it would be an admission of security failure on the part of the phone provider or the network. They will just announce that some of the scammers have been caught and charged (which will probably be Billy BS).

Phone companies have to shoulder the same responsibilities now that credit card companies did years ago. Your credit card details could always be captured by crooks, either by the person looking over your shoulder at Sainsbury's or by more sophisticated means like fake card readers and computer software that captures your keystrokes on a computer. The entire credit card industry could not exist or work without them shouldering the significant costs associated with crooks and fraud. Similarly, the phone companies, as we more forward with computer phones, now has to accept that there will always be a significant amount of phone hacking, fraud and crime and as a result THEY are going to have to shoulder that cost, otherwise the entire phone industry collapses. They obviously don't like it, but they have no choice.

They will cover up the security breach and this news story will drift quietly into the night.