MTN has got to answer to this ,cos I use their network nd it has happened to me and still happening and I can say for a fact that the ppl I know this has happened to ese MTN,its just so annoying

This happened to me last year on my MTN line

I was on bode thomas street surulere, in order to fix my starcomms izap when i got a text.
When i called the number, it was like they were speaking spanish, before i knew it, my cred was gone!!

i have alot of friends abroad so i was curious

dnative:

It is quite straightforward how this is pulled off.  Set up a premium rate number and flash or sms some random number overseas and hope they'll call back and get charged premium rates - with the line owner sharing taking a good percentage of the call charges.  Setting up a premium rate number in most first world countries is regulated to a large extent (though not entirely fraud-free) but the same stringent process may not apply in other countries where it may be much more easier to get away with this and use for scamming arrangements.

You'll be surprised this also happens in the UK regularly but most people know better to do a quick check on the phone area code to know what sort of call charges apply when calling those suspect numbers - that's if you want to bother returning the call at in the first instance

Absolutely right, yes it happens in the UK but you can report it and the company will be traced.

Companies/ business set up premium line for legitimate business but that could be abused.

Getting people's number is not a problem, poorly paid employees in these telecom companies can sell a database of their customers number to crooks or other online means. . . .

M »

Chaps it's more premium rate charges and unlikely to be a scam by the local Telco. Note these numbers are not local Nigerian numbers.
Try Google a random 0906 UK number and dial this - watch how quickly your credit disappears! Calls to these lines are typically charged at £1.25 or much more per min. Bear in mind that it is strictly the responsibility of the bill payer to find out the applicable call charges (and also read the small print) for a number before dialing.

Interconnect charges are already pre-established by your local Telco to most other Telcos (directly or indirectly) around the world. For countries with less transparent premium rate charges and possibly no standard cap on the maximum charges, it would be possible for an unscrupulous person to set up a 'premium rate service' with a very high associated charges, agree a revenue sharing model with their local telco (overseas telco in this case) and target people outside the local operating area (or country) to try and get them to call these numbers. When you dial these numbers, your local telco (MTN, Airtel etc) are still obliged to route your call as usual and depending on what it costs them to actually terminate your call to this overseas premium rate numbers, will in turn charge you accordingly. I don't think they really have any jurisdiction with regards to determining if local callers to premium rate numbers overseas are being ripped off or not - that would be the job of the local enforcement agencies in the country where such premium rate number operators are running.

The best approach really is - if you receive an sms or a missed call from a strange foreign number asking you to ring back, don't bother. If it is really important and someone you know, they will leave a message that makes sense for you to be able to determine whether the call is worth returning or not.

Quite ellaborate and very true,

I really dont think u can blame the local TELCO's MTN and the rest, cos they have no business knowing if the line you are calling is premium or not, it is the duty of the other country, MTN is obliged to route your calls so far as you dial it,

The simple solution as Dnative has said is to ignore all such strange calls,

I must say i am impressed by the reasoning of this fraudsters sweet and clean, ( the joke is on all those that are expecting one strange uncle or relative to drop an "IMPORTANT" message for them from a strange country)

When has it ever been greedy to reply a voice mail? I have never in my entire life been handed anything for free and I don't walk around hoping it will happen soon. I responded to a voice mail message sent to my phone thinking it might be an emergency I called to find out.
As you may might have noticed, the thread is headlined "New Phone Scam". Meaning: I knew I had been had.
I just posted the topic to share with others my experience and hopefully the may not fall prey and also to get a better insight on how they were able to swipe my airtime.

So far, I have not seen any other person with a different network with this complaint. It has been MTN all through with every victim here.

Another form of wayo in communication sector,
I also fall into dat victim yesterday around 3.30pm and just for 11seconds dat I spend to listing to dat stupid voice TONE, I lost abt #160 out me #214 credit on my PHONE,
just beware !!!
it's REAL,

credit subsidy.wetin no dey happen 4 naija?

The text message was to inform you of your lottery win.

ask the Network providers. they left out a vulnerability which someone else prolly took advantage of.

This is strange. Thanks for educating us

I got a flash from +2207771559 yesterday. I googled it and saw gambia. But I definately did.nt cal bak. Heck, even wn unknown local numbers flash me I dont cal bak so y shud I cal an unknown int. no.?

ANOTHER NEW SCAM

If you use a MTN line please beware of a text message with number '0803' that might inform you that you have just won N30,000 worth of recharge card (air time credit). The message will direct you to www.mtn30.in where you will be required to send N3,000 worth of credit to their website to redeem your price.

IT IS ALL FRAUD so please ignore.

The 0803 - was sent using 'bulk sms' gateway

www.mtn30.in ISN'T MTN's website address.

NOTE : NO ORGANIZATION WILL REQUIRE YOU TO SEND MONEY TO REDEEM YOUR PRICE!!!

I just got the 'fake message' and decided to warn you all. Please let others be aware of this too.

talknafree:

ANOTHER NEW SCAM

If you use a MTN line please beware of a text message with number '0803' that might inform you that you have just won N30,000 worth of recharge card (air time credit). The message will direct you to www.mtn30.in where you will be required to send N3,000 worth of credit to their website to redeem your price.

IT IS ALL FRAUD so please ignore.

The 0803 - was sent using 'bulk sms' gateway

www.mtn30.in ISN'T MTN's website address.

NOTE : NO ORGANIZATION WILL REQUIRE YOU TO SEND MONEY TO REDEEM YOUR PRICE!!!

I just got the 'fake message' and decided to warn you all. Please let others be aware of this too.

greed will make some people fall for this,

Christ! Can not imagine falling for all these crap.
Cos I believe if smone wants to really get in touch, the person wld try reaching u until the person succeeds. Wat is voice call, 9ja for life . Na wa

I get all these messages n I don't even read them completely , I simply ignore straight.
Whether its true or false I'm not interested.

hurray! i got my own voicemail msg today

saw the message too but ignored it cause of d country code

its a fraud by long distance carriers to boost revenues as the local telco here-Airtel,MTN,Glo or EMTS will have to pay them for terminating calls on their network. Its pretty popular around the world, especially for VAS services.

^Wow! ¡ncredible.

Nigerians being scammed, i think its funny.

But does.nt it mean somethin dt all complains r from Mtn suscribers? I use Mtn too and got a strange missed cal.

Its all Telcos that are targetted, especially cos international costs are more expensive

Unlucky me, i got the text last week and i decided to call this evening just cos i was impatient with my slow browser, i only checked my bal. wen i saw this thread 0.02 naira left, please HOW DID IT HAPPEN?

Yeah I got d same urgent message to call+2392247202 and in less than 12secs my 420 credit was gone. I guess it s d latest phone scam. Pls spread d gospel.the scammers r makin a killin.

^Why not try it with N0.00 airtime?

Thanks for sharing this information. I'm sorry to hear you were charged for a scam. Did you file for a refund?

I got a call like that before but I did not pick up. Instead, the caller left a voice mail. It said something like I needed to attend to a very urgent matter and call back a phone number. I would have done so had I not read about this scam at the consumer complaint site called Callercenter. It was very deceiving and it's designed to make you feel nervous or alarmed so you wouldn't think of anything else but check on what the problem was but calling the phone number. But not me. I got the phone number and looked it up online. And as I expected, it came up and has been associated to phone scams.

I hope you get a refund for that or have the charge removed from your bill. There have been reported instances where some telephone companies consider the charge valid and refused to give a refund.

Re-fund ke. There's nothimg like re-fund once u have been billed by yur operator.

drstan:
Ya i got it too, but they did nt get much 4rm me b4 i cal d custma care, they said i should ignor it dat it is a scarm, dat when eva u cal bak al d money in ur acount wil b wiped out, tank GOD my was 90bux

bad guy 90bux