Premium numbers on phone bill

[ErikaPNP]

I was checking my online banking tonight and noticed that BT took 4 times the amount of the usual direct debit!! I very rarely use my phone and am always in credit with BT.

 

So I check my BT account online to find heaps of 09 numbers, each lasting about half a minute, several times a day. My bill has gone from £50 odd in credit to £120 odd in debit! Haven't been able to check all the numbers because the bloody BT billing service went down.

 

It's only me and the kids in the house, the only phone is in the living room so I'd know if they were using it, so it's not them, and it certainly isn't me that's done it. Some of the phone calls are early in morning when we are all in bed, some late in the evening when it's only me up.

 

How can this happen?

[dx100uk]

computer?

 

sky box?

 

games console?

 

++ unless they advised you of the increased DD - you can get it back under the DD guarantee

[locutus]

I was checking my online banking tonight and noticed that BT took 4 times the amount of the usual direct debit!! I very rarely use my phone and am always in credit with BT.

 

So I check my BT account online to find heaps of 09 numbers, each lasting about half a minute, several times a day. My bill has gone from £50 odd in credit to £120 odd in debit! Haven't been able to check all the numbers because the bloody BT billing service went down.

 

It's only me and the kids in the house, the only phone is in the living room so I'd know if they were using it, so it's not them, and it certainly isn't me that's done it. Some of the phone calls are early in morning when we are all in bed, some late in the evening when it's only me up.

 

How can this happen?

 

My parents had a similar situation, turns out as they were introducing the new fiber optic service, they messed around in the telephone exchange and plugged a different house into my parents phone number and vice versa. They phoned their own number and someone else answered! They ended up getting that months bills completely wiped. Maybe worth a try.

 

also search the number here or in google (use the CAG search box above!) to see who it is.

[Ell-enn]

The same thing happened to my friend - she got all the money back from BT as it wasn't them making the calls. I can't remember the whole story so I'll ask her. If you have any trouble getting satisfaction from BT send an email to:

[email protected] (CEO) you get a very quick response!

[citizenB]

You can also contact your provider and get a ban on 09 numbers being made from your account

[Brian1951]

There was a case in the West Country a few months ago of engineers having access to exchange boxes illegally calling the premium rate numbers of a certain premium rate provider adding profit to the companies account. The police, local press and BT were involved and all the subscribers who complained were refunded. It does make you wonder about those who just paid the bills without checking.

 

It was posted on several forums.

 

What were the PR numbers that are on your bill?

[ErikaPNP]

I'm furious. I contacted BT today to get a man who clearly was unwilling to listen to anything I had to say. He was insistant I had made those calls. I asked him to look over my account history and he'd see that in the 5 or so years I've used them, I've never dialled a PR number and it's only recently these calls have registered from my line. He said it must be a guest or a neighbour. I advised him that nobody comes to the house other than my family on the odd visit and they haven't been up this way since last year. I asked to speak to a manager, he refused to let me do this.

 

So I asked him to bar all PR numbers and he said I already had call barring. He gave me a code *347# to bar premium numbers

 

We went over it about three times, getting nowhere. He then had the bare faced cheek to ask if I was happy with his customer service. I said no. He asked for the reason and I told him I'd already told him 3 times, he wouldn't listen to what I had to say, wouldn't put me through to a manager when asked, didn't offer me the complaints procedure. He then said he would put me through to his manager but the manager was unavailable - that I accept is not his fault - then asked me to please be happy with the service. I said no. So he said my account would be treated specially. I asked what this meant and he began to explain before cutting me off.

 

Definately emailing that CEO, thanks Ell-enn. I think it's my only hope of getting anywhere.

 

I've tried dialling that code *347# and it doesn't bar premium numbers, it bars all outgoing calls! What a flippin mess.

[Ell-enn]

Erika, you will get a response from that email address even at weekends! make sure you give a number you can be contacted on.

[hallowitch]

I've tried dialling that code *347# and it doesn't bar premium numbers, it bars all outgoing calls! What a flippin mess.

 

that service costs £5 a month my son has it on this phone to stop the kids phoning mobile numbers when he is out

[goodwill]

ErikaPNP,

the guy from BT is talking nonsense. Last year criminals were placing these calls on customers lines from roadside boxes in order to collect the revenue from the Networks. Her's the email reply I reived from PhonepayPlus.

Dear ********

 

Many thanks for your e-mail and the information contained within it. I have now had the opportunity to speak to both Call Republic and BT’s fraud department in relation to this matter.

 

BT have confirmed they have been investigating this for some time and have now passed their report to the police to review. They are aware that this problem has affected a number of their customers and believe that a form of ‘hacking’ into personal lines has taken place. BT are aware of all their consumers that have been affected by this problem and are refunding upon request. They have also been in recent contact with the PhonepayPlus Investigations team to obtain further information about the companies contracted on the numbers generating any charges.

 

PhonepayPlus will assist both BT and the police in providing any information that may assist their enquiries as requested but will not open a formal investigation as no breach of the Code of Practice has taken place – this appears to be fraud and this is therefore a matter for the police to investigate. Any link between Call Republic and similar problems that may have previously occurred (such as in 1995) will hopefully be discovered as part of the police investigation. We will not be in a position to provide any further information, such as any company that may have sub-contracted with Call Republic to anyone other than BT or the police as part of their investigation.

 

I can assure you that I have discussed this matter in detail with Paul Whiteing, Chief Executive of PhonepayPlus who is in full agreement with this course of action. Mr Whiteing has regular meetings with Sir Alistair Graham and an update will be added to the next agenda.

 

If you do have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

Regards

 

*************

Head of Consumer Support

could you post the numbers

[ErikaPNP]

Finally, BT billing service is working again. The numbers are

 

09016550003

09016550001

09040430000

09012250008

They are always less than a minute but have been called hundreds of times since January (I get quarterly bills online) and it's cost me a fortune. A google search shows that they are connected to Sky, but I still dispute them because I have only ever called 08 numbers when calling Sky and it can't be through the remote because I have a bar on Sky purchases, it needs a PIN which I know my kids don't know because it was asked for when they tried to watch an over 18 programme I'd recorded and it asked for a PIN, and also because the times of day the number appears on my bill when no-one is near the TV. Had Sky for years too without these numbers appearing on my BT bill until lately.

[ErikaPNP]

Holy cow!

 

I emailed as Ell-en said and my god I got a phone call within a few minutes! I told the gent the numbers appear to be Sky but that it is still not possible to have come from my line and given the reasons why. They are going to look into it.

 

I didn't expect a response that quickly. Can't fault that.

[Ell-enn]

[dx100uk]

sorry i told you earlier it was the sky box.

 

http://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/09016550003

 

not been looking at this thread.

 

its when it tries to register for the premium chat stuff on late at night on the adult channels

it can be done with the press of a single wrong button

it can also happen when a channel you were watcging early goes over to the 'latenight' stuff [changes use]

interactive and PPV channel does it too.

 

if you dont watch and PPV TV or 'pay' for movies

simple answer is to unplug the sky box from the phone socket.

 

if you look on the skybox log

you'll see it wants to do it to 'confirm' a purchase

just delete it.

from the log

 

more later i've gotta pop out

dx

[goodwill]

http://www.phonepayplus.org.uk/Number-Checker/Check-a-Number-Results.aspx?ncn=09012250008

Check A Number - Result

Unfortunately PhonepayPlus does not have any information about the number 09012250008.

If you want to log a complaint to PhonepayPlus online please click here.

Alternatively, you can call our helpline on 0800 500 212 (Mon-Fri, 0900-1700).

You could alternatively contact your mobile phone network and ask them for details about this number and advice about what to do next.

Want to find out more about Phone Paid Services?

all four numbers give the above which is a bit odd if they were Sky numbers

 

from this

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/numbering/index.htm#geog1

all four numbers belong to Thus Plc

 

so I'm guessing they may be 'free' to play games from the Sky box but not Sky.

 

http://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/09016550003

http://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/09016550001

http://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/09040430000

http://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/09012250008

 

I wouldn't necessarily blame your kids at this point...there really are some very unscrupulous companies about

 

sorry I can't be much help but keep us updated