Screenshots

Remember the story of Screenshots reader Jonathan Wong who was scammed a total of 210 spams, spanning 17 days from 18:17:58 hr April 24 through 17:55:19hr May 13, 2007 via short code 32355 owned by MacroKiosk?.

The truth is out. 'Jonathan Wong' was the red herring planted by Screenshots to fool the perpetrators of SMS Scam, and at the same to protect her identity and safety.

She? Yes, the victim is a working lady based in Kuala Lumpur. She only wanted to be known as Li.

After her case was published in Screenshots May 30, she decided to turn up for the "Meet-the-Press" session facilitated by Darshan Singh, director of the National Consumer Complaints Centre (NCCC), which is part of the national consumer protection group, Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (FOMCA).

SOURCE: Weekend Mail, June 23-24, 2007, Page 17

She produced two itemised bills from Maxis to be inspected by the Weekend Mail editors and journalists.

The Maxis line scammed by the Celco's external content provider (ECP) was a supplementary line she subscribed, in April, for her 51-year-old mother in Ipoh, using a Maxis family plan, which offers cheaper rate.

She later discovered that her mother has been getting up to 10 premium-rate SMSes a day from the short codes, even though she had never registered for the service.

Her story is carried on Page 17 of the Weekend Mail (June 23-24 edition). Quote:

She was shocked to see her bill for the first month, in which RM275.00 was charged for the unsolicited text messages which were sent to the line over 17 days.

That was not all. She was shocked again when the most recent bill, dated June, was delivered to her. She was again charged RM77 for the text messages billed to her account on May 19 and 20. "Each text message was charged between 50 sen and RM7," she told the Weekend Mail.

For the record, when her mother received the first SMS, she contacted the Celco to find out what it was all about. Quote the Weekend Mail:

"I was told it was games download. I asked the content provider to stop sending such text messages.

"I also asked them why the text messages were sent as we never subscribed for it.

We didn't get a reply."

Do read the Weekend Mail for details. Darshan said there are many more cell phone users facing the same problem as Li, and he urged consumers to check their bills if they have been scammed and charged for unsolicited SMS content.

"If you have, please come forward and lodge a complaint with us. Let us help you with this problem," Darshan said.

The NCCC can be contacted at Tel: 03-78779000 or 78748096 or fax: 03-78748097.

Consumers can also lodge complaints, with their itemised bills, via email at nccc@nccc.org.my.

NCCC also provides e-aduan forms available at its website: www.nccc.org.my.

Scammers alive!

MEANWHILE, cases of SMS Scam sustained its menace during the recent month of May, 2007, and postpaid users are now learning to scrutinise their itemised bills with a toothcomb.

Cheah, a neighbour of this blogger, produced the itemised bill for June 2007 which indicated that her father, who holds a Maxis supplementary line, had been scammed RM4.00 by MacroKiosk on May 19, via short code 36881.

Why was Cheah so sure of her father being scammed? The old man is an SMS-illiterate who uses mobile phone strictly for voicecalls.

There are several more cases of charges for unsolicited SMS content in the June itemised bills that Screenshots had received over the last one week. Stay tuned!