Oxygen8 and Optus Jackpot
Oxygen8 and Optus Jackpot
My 84 year old Mother has an prepaid Optus mobile account and over the last 2 months she has lost $50 in credit to some scam called Oxygen8 Jackpot. (Yes am switching her to Exetel when I can get over to Perth)
Mum is on a war service pension and is very prudent with her money, she reckons she didn't sign up to anything and that she kept getting text messages, but didn't know how to respond.
Whilst Optus has refunded $30, I would like to establish who these scammers are and how they manage to burn up pre-paid credits.
All I can find out about them is from Google, and if it is the same mob, they appear to be a corporate communications company.
I would also like to know more so I can send them (and/or Optus)a serve or three and also to warn others.
Thanks
Mum is on a war service pension and is very prudent with her money, she reckons she didn't sign up to anything and that she kept getting text messages, but didn't know how to respond.
Whilst Optus has refunded $30, I would like to establish who these scammers are and how they manage to burn up pre-paid credits.
All I can find out about them is from Google, and if it is the same mob, they appear to be a corporate communications company.
I would also like to know more so I can send them (and/or Optus)a serve or three and also to warn others.
Thanks
RAND-NBN50- ZTE H268A
Re: Oxygen8 and Optus Jackpot
Suggest you fix the problem before you churn as it will still continue anywayMixer wrote:My 84 year old Mother has an prepaid Optus mobile account and over the last 2 months she has lost $50 in credit to some scam called Oxygen8 Jackpot. (Yes am switching her to Exetel when I can get over to Perth)
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Re: Oxygen8 and Optus Jackpot
This issue has arisen in the past and seems to be due to inadequate controls (in the industry in general) on Premium SMS services
Past threads are http://forum.exetel.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=26866 and http://forum.exetel.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=27751
Past threads are http://forum.exetel.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=26866 and http://forum.exetel.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=27751
Re: Oxygen8 and Optus Jackpot
Corey, thanks for the response and links..Premium SMS eh? Sounds more like highway robbery to me!
RAND-NBN50- ZTE H268A
Re: Oxygen8 and Optus Jackpot
Call Optus mobile tech support and they'll run a check on any PSMS charges, and can then provide you with a 1300 / 1800 number you can call to unsubscribe from the service. Or reply with 'STOP' which will work with 99% of Premium SMS providers.
Alternatively, PM me if you like and I may be able to help... just have to remember my old login to that system - it may still work.
Alternatively, PM me if you like and I may be able to help... just have to remember my old login to that system - it may still work.
Re: Oxygen8 and Optus Jackpot
Lonx, thanks for your help, have got onto Optus tech and all is good 

RAND-NBN50- ZTE H268A
Re: Oxygen8 and Optus Jackpot
My father is 73 years old, he has industrial deafness and poor vision due to cataracts (just had one eye fixed).
The number of people he calls, you could count on your fingers & he has never sent an SMS/MMS/email in his life.
I have an Optus Mobile account used by my father.
We recently found that somehow my father was subscribed to the Jackpot SMS service. The charges started back in June and only ended a week ago when I rang Optus to ask then what the hell the charges were. At $6.60 per week it adds up to a total of $211.20 for the 32 weeks till we cancelled it.
Optus tell us that we need to contact the content provider to sort it out.
Speaking to the lady in the outsourced support centre for Jackpot SMS i found that:
He was subscribed after receiving and automated call from JackpotSMS which went along like "Press 5 to win $100" or something like that.
She was very helpful and polite in spite of the circumstances answering all my questions; I imagine not everyone is so polite to her.
I have decided that Optus is responsible for this as I believe they are facilitating fraud by illegally billing my account for products/services not provided.
I equate it to a Credit Card statement; If I see an erroneous charge on my statement I would ring and advise that I did not make the purchase.
The Card provider would then check their records or contact the merchant, asking them to provide evidence of the purchase.
So I am currently pursuing a complaint with Optus directly and will escalate this to the TIO if they fail to refund all money.
At the same time I am sending a letter to JackpotSMS asking them to refund all monies charged to Optus against my account & to remove the number from their records/calling list and not contact me ever again.
I'll try to let you all know how I go with it all.
PS:
These Premium Content Providers must be registered with the operators (Optus/Telstra/etc) in order to bill charges to your mobile.
So Optus has all the details on them.
PPS:
If you make a complaint to the TIO (Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman) against an operator;
The TIO charges the Operator at least $20 just for registering the complaint.
I believe the charges might increase as the TIO spends more time dealing with the complaint.
So it is in the operators best interest to deal with it themselves ASAP.
You must first make all efforts to resolve the complaint with the Operator before going to the TIO.
Thats were i am at now.
The number of people he calls, you could count on your fingers & he has never sent an SMS/MMS/email in his life.
I have an Optus Mobile account used by my father.
We recently found that somehow my father was subscribed to the Jackpot SMS service. The charges started back in June and only ended a week ago when I rang Optus to ask then what the hell the charges were. At $6.60 per week it adds up to a total of $211.20 for the 32 weeks till we cancelled it.
Optus tell us that we need to contact the content provider to sort it out.
Speaking to the lady in the outsourced support centre for Jackpot SMS i found that:
He was subscribed after receiving and automated call from JackpotSMS which went along like "Press 5 to win $100" or something like that.
She was very helpful and polite in spite of the circumstances answering all my questions; I imagine not everyone is so polite to her.
I have decided that Optus is responsible for this as I believe they are facilitating fraud by illegally billing my account for products/services not provided.
I equate it to a Credit Card statement; If I see an erroneous charge on my statement I would ring and advise that I did not make the purchase.
The Card provider would then check their records or contact the merchant, asking them to provide evidence of the purchase.
So I am currently pursuing a complaint with Optus directly and will escalate this to the TIO if they fail to refund all money.
At the same time I am sending a letter to JackpotSMS asking them to refund all monies charged to Optus against my account & to remove the number from their records/calling list and not contact me ever again.
I'll try to let you all know how I go with it all.
PS:
These Premium Content Providers must be registered with the operators (Optus/Telstra/etc) in order to bill charges to your mobile.
So Optus has all the details on them.
PPS:
If you make a complaint to the TIO (Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman) against an operator;
The TIO charges the Operator at least $20 just for registering the complaint.
I believe the charges might increase as the TIO spends more time dealing with the complaint.
So it is in the operators best interest to deal with it themselves ASAP.
You must first make all efforts to resolve the complaint with the Operator before going to the TIO.
Thats were i am at now.
Re: Oxygen8 and Optus Jackpot
I believe Exetel blocks Premium SMS by default, which is a very sensible approach. Although not the case in these instances, if you are stupid enough to have the block removed then you deserve to be scammed.
There are numerous threads on Whirlpool related to this type of problem, I have fallen prey to such scams in the past and Whirlpool Forums actually proved useful then.
Perseverance pays off in these situations. I hunted the dogs down and actually received a large cheque and apology from them them when I caught up with the offenders and proved very expensive to them for a single SMS and a few phone calls to get to them. In that situation I leant on the individual concerned and he threatened to call the Police and I then spoke to his superiors in the UK who sorted it very quickly, basically asking how much to write the cheque out for!
It is obvious that there is a paper trail through the carriers because they are the ones that bill you, they continue to hide behind privacy (bullshit) legislation and harbour these criminals because they obtain a hefty cut from the proceeds of these crimes. Unfortunately the TIO doesn't really have the power to prevent these offences from continuing, they only negotiate resolutions to individual complaints. The Government doesn't seem to care about it either, so really the only option is to track down the individual offenders, name and shame them and if that fails lean on them.
There are numerous threads on Whirlpool related to this type of problem, I have fallen prey to such scams in the past and Whirlpool Forums actually proved useful then.
Perseverance pays off in these situations. I hunted the dogs down and actually received a large cheque and apology from them them when I caught up with the offenders and proved very expensive to them for a single SMS and a few phone calls to get to them. In that situation I leant on the individual concerned and he threatened to call the Police and I then spoke to his superiors in the UK who sorted it very quickly, basically asking how much to write the cheque out for!
It is obvious that there is a paper trail through the carriers because they are the ones that bill you, they continue to hide behind privacy (bullshit) legislation and harbour these criminals because they obtain a hefty cut from the proceeds of these crimes. Unfortunately the TIO doesn't really have the power to prevent these offences from continuing, they only negotiate resolutions to individual complaints. The Government doesn't seem to care about it either, so really the only option is to track down the individual offenders, name and shame them and if that fails lean on them.
The views I present are that of my own and NOT of any organisation I may belong to.
73 de Simon, VK3XEM
73 de Simon, VK3XEM
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Re: Oxygen8 and Optus Jackpot
I don't think that Exetel can block premium SMS. See http://forum.exetel.com.au/viewtopic.ph ... 02#p209102vk3xem wrote:I believe Exetel blocks Premium SMS by default, which is a very sensible approach.
Re: Oxygen8 and Optus Jackpot
Strange, I thought they did block them, I know before I ported from Vodafone I couldn't send them.CoreyPlover wrote:I don't think that Exetel can block premium SMS. See http://forum.exetel.com.au/viewtopic.ph ... 02#p209102
The views I present are that of my own and NOT of any organisation I may belong to.
73 de Simon, VK3XEM
73 de Simon, VK3XEM
Re: Oxygen8 and Optus Jackpot
I see Oxygen8 are in the news http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_311584
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Re: Oxygen8 and Optus Jackpot
Wow. That's a great development. Merry Christmas Oxygen8!jok11n wrote:I see Oxygen8 are in the news http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_311584
Re: Oxygen8 and Optus Jackpot
A grate step in the right direction, but still a long way to go.
The views I present are that of my own and NOT of any organisation I may belong to.
73 de Simon, VK3XEM
73 de Simon, VK3XEM