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How to stop unwanted premium rate text messages

  • 2 May 2019
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How to stop unwanted premium rate text messages
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If you didn’t want them, there are things you can do to make them stop. We’ve got the info you need below, along with tips on how to avoid getting unwanted texts in the first place.

What are premium rate text messages?​​​​

Premium rate text messages (also known as ‘reverse billed messages’) are usually for some kind of subscription services.
They’re sent from numbers with four, five or six digits, so they’re quite easy to spot. The bad news is that they cost about anywhere between £1.50 to £5 each, so you might end up with a higher than expected monthly mobile bill.
Premium rate text messages can only be sent out if you sign up to a service. Unfortunately, it’s easy to accidentally subscribe to some services, especially the less reputable ones. For example, if you fail to tick or untick a box on a website, reply to a message, or simply click a tab on a pop-up, you might automatically subscribe to a service. And you might not even be told that you’ve subscribed - so the first time you’ll be aware of this is when you start being charged.
So please be careful when entering competitions or registering for a service. In fact, think carefully before you click or tap on anything at all! And unless you're 100% satisfied that a website won’t misuse your phone number, don’t give it to them!

How can I stop unwanted premium rate texts?​​​​​

Here are three steps to follow to stop these unwanted messages for good:
1. ‘STOP ALL’ unwanted premium text message

If you’ve received an unwanted message you think might be a premium rate text, use the PSA (Phone-paid Services Authority) Number Checker to check for the name and contact details of the company running the service.

If the company is legitimate, you should then reply to the message with 'STOP ALL', and keep the text as evidence for a complaint.

If the company running the service that sent you the text doesn’t seem to be legitimate, check if you’ve been charged (you can view your itemised bills with the iD Mobile app). If you have, see step 4 to find out how to stop this happening in the future.

2. Complain to the company

If you keep being charged after you’ve replied ‘STOP’, you should make a complaint to the company that runs the service. If you still get charged after making a complaint, contact Phone-paid Service Authority (PSA) and they’ll help (more on that in step 3).

If you believe the text message is spam, you can report this to us by texting 7726 free of charge. You'll then get a message asking you to send a second text, containing the actual number that sent the unwanted text message.

If you believe the text message is spam, you can report this to us by texting 7726 free of charge. You'll then get a message asking you to send a second text, containing the actual number that sent the unwanted text message.

3. Complain to the PSA
If you’re unable to contact the company or they fail to resolve your complaint, contact the PSA. Its free helpline is 0300 30 300 20, open from 9.30am - 12.30m Monday to Friday. You can also make a complaint on its website. If the PSA finds that the company is running a service that is misleading, you might be entitled to a refund. Unfortunately, in most cases refunds aren’t given to anyone who agrees to receive premium rate text messages, even accidentally.


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