On premium SMS scams

[Raga]

If you have experiences of any, feel free to share.

Here's a write-up from my experiences a week back, still unfolding:

http://www.codewallah.com/scam/smsac/

Any thoughts on that? I seem to be drawing some heat over the site.

[jimmalenko]

I think you've got too much time on your hands

Yes, they're tossers, sucking the blood from millions no doubt. But I object to tree-hugging hippies shouting "Free speech!"

[Raga]

Took about an hour and a half to set it up, perhaps? I am, actually, extremely busy, believe it or not!

[reboot]

Premium services are the bane of cell phone owning teenagers parents everywhere. (if that's a confusing statement, reread it slower ).
The company I work for, actually has a one stop, toll free number to call, to discontinue any/all premium txt services, and customer service will usually credit back at least a portion of the cost.
It comes from unscrupulous places like jamdat, and buoingorno, who have no conscience whatsoever, and cell companies have aligned themselves with these services to provide extra content for their subscribers, not knowing how much crap would result.
Now they're locked in to contracts with these places, and can't get out (easily), and reputations are going downhill extremely quickly.
Unless you actually want to pay $9.99 (US) for that joke of the day (yes $9.99 per day!), stock quote (again, every single day!), horoscope (another daily $9.99!), or global friend (get the picture yet?), please, please don't ever subscribe, or even click OK on your phone, to any txt message from anyone you don't personally know.