Well I called vodafone and they were extremely helpful. They have given me a pay as you go sim card which I can insert into my previous recently used phone.

I will then have a brand new number which I can give to family only... allowing me to switch off my 'harassed' phone in the evenings. I did incur a charge of £1.52 on my phone bill from the Turkey number, i think i dialed it when i was trying to delete it, so you have to be very careful.

Thank you both for your help.

Thank you for replying The Chancellor, I will do that. I was also thinking of calling the number tomorrow from a landline and asking them who they are and how they got my mobile number. I have also thought about going down the data protection line and getting in touch with Ofcom.

Does anyone know if any thing can be done about phone calls and sms messages which start with 0905? I have received text messages from a guy claiming to be from Turkey and evening phone calls. Also do you get charged for these messages and calls ? And how can I find out where these people found my mobile phone number?

I would be grateful if any one could throw some light on this matter.

Have informed everyone I know about this website and now they are all busy reclaiming their bank charges. It's almost getting a cult following!

Ahoy there shipmates! Have just successfully claimed my treasure back form Lloyds TSB. Going to make a start on my co pirate's Barclays account tomorrow.Just want to wish everyone a happy and prosperous New Year!

Bit evasive I know, going to test the water and jump ship tommorow, first step set up new bank account,then post the letter and schedule of bank charges recorded delivery.. is that right??

Now's the time to do it - it is the official year of the pirate so lets get piratey !!

It's great to know that we're all in the same boat!! And loads of help and info available !!

This is my first voyage,expecting rough seas! Navigating a bit hit and miss so far but this site is proving to be a great compass !!