Premium rate phone scams
Premium rate phone scams work by tempting you to phone a premium rate number, with the promise of a prize or reward that may never materialise. The longer you stay on the phone, the more money the scammers will make from you.
Scammers sometimes use 090 numbers to part you from your money. Scams include phony prize and holiday offers. They often begin when the scammer sends you a letter, text or telephone message claiming that you have won a major prize and asking you to ring a particular number.
You might be promised a large cash prize or luxury holiday, but you may end with just a cheap giveaway item worth less than the cost of the call or nothing at all, except a huge phone bill.
If you ring you might have to listen to a long recorded message. Remember, the longer you stay on the phone, the higher the charge for the call.
Tips to avoid premium rate scams
- remember that premium rate telephone numbers attract charges by the minute, usually well above the cost of a local or standard call
- don't dial a premium rate number unless you are absolutely sure how much you will be charged and you are willing to pay for it
- be on your guard if, after dialling one 090 number you hear a message asking you to dial a second 090 number
- always read the small print of any promotion so that you know any hidden catches and costs and exactly what you are likely to get
Examples of premium rate phone scams
You've won a top prize
You receive a mailing or unsolicited text or telephone message telling you that you have won a major prize such as cash, a car or luxury holiday, or a 'mystery prize worth at least £1,000'. You are told to urgently ring an 090 number costing £1.50 a minute to find out what you have won.
Often there isn't really a prize or the prize you receive has been wrongly described and turns out to be a near worthless book of discount vouchers, or a holiday voucher with stringent restrictions attached. You will often have to pay more money to use the 'prize' on top of the cost of the premium rate phone call.
Parcel delivery
You receive a 'delivery card' or mailshot asking you to call a premium rate number to rearrange delivery of a parcel waiting for you. The card looks like a typical 'we called but you were out' card used by various home delivery organisations. You are misled into thinking that you have ordered something or are the beneficiary of something sent by someone you know. What you actually receive is likely to be worth less than the cost of the premium rate call.
Rogue premium rate internet diallers
Rogue internet diallers secretly download virus software to transfer dial-up internet connections from low-cost or freephone numbers to expensive 090 premium rate numbers.
The rogue dialler is installed on your computer without your knowledge, usually when you open a spam email or visit a website where the software is hidden. You can run up vast bills - often into the several hundred pounds per month.
Someone fancies you
You might receive an unsolicited text saying that someone fancies you and, to find out who it is, to respond to a premium rate number. But it's just a way to get you to spend money.
