doug1

Just to let you know of latest scam doing the rounds in London,a very plausible person usually a well dressed woman will knock at your door or office and ask to use the phone as the car has broken down and she needs to phone her husband to sort her out.
She will then ring a number and have a conversation with someone which will go on for some 5 minutes or so after which she will hang up thank you and leave.
What she has done is to ring up a premium cost line which has been set up to charge some £45-50 per minute and you will now be billed for £250 of which the scammers will hive off a large amount.
To add insult to injury it is not illegal as you invited her in to use the phone and she has not advertised the service number as then the charge would have to be listed.
You have been warned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Luke

Thought there is a maximum charge to can set/ When you register these companies??

bug-eyed wonder

You've got to hand it to these people though! £50/minute, more brains than me.

mj

10/10

how do you set up a premium rate number?

chockymonster

There's a maximum charge of £1.50 a minute for premium rate although it can go up to £1.80 if calling from a cellphone. Looks like another hoax

Dream Weaver

Another Urban eh?

Snopes - home of the Urban Legends

DW

doug1

can assure you no hoax as i know a pub landlord who got turned over he enquired about costs and was told that private premium lines can be set up and charge as they like as long as they do not advertise in which case they would be resticted or not allowed,certain "specialist" ladies of the night operate in this manner passing their number via web sites.
Not for me personally honest!!!

JoanUK300

Yep, this very same thing happened to my mother-in-laws friend up in Luton so beware it is happening!!!

Joan.

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

Not illegal? Sounds very much like theft by deception to me. Any lawyers care to comment? (Maz?)

Tricky Dicky

this should be in .......Whats the easiset way to become a millioniare..post......

Dream Weaver

And I bet you both know someone personally that has found an absess in a McChicken sandwich as well then?

DW

Dream Weaver

For UK based PRS's the maximum rate chargeable is £1.50 as stated above:

http://www.icstis.org.uk/icstis2002/default.asp?node=20

Doug - have you had first hand of this, or once again is it a friend of a friend?

DW

Toerag

A LOT of 'pervy lines' are now based out of the UK in places like Sierra Leone, South America etc. as the majority of UK telco bar expensive/pervy numbers as standard (you can get the barring taken off if you wish). Then you are looking at international charges which is a whole new ballgame.