Consumers have to be extra cautious these days when entering their cell phone numbers into any kind of Web-based service. You never know when there’s some fine print which notes that by entering your phone number you are automatically signed up for a subscription service, costing upwards of $15 per month. Worse even, sometimes there’s no fine print. It just happens. So what can consumers do to avoid these types of charges? Consumerist’s Chris Walters explores the topic.
The most notorious place for these fake free offers is on Facebook, the IQ test being the foremost example. You do the (dumb) quiz, and then enter your cell phone number to get the results. Oops! Now you’ll be charged $15 per month. Unless you’re an astute studier of your monthly bill, this can go unnoticed for some time. All for what? Nothing, really.
Wireless carriers should take a page from AT&T’s book on this one. They allow customers to call customer service and set up a permission-based mobile purchase system. It blocks all purchases absent a PIN. So when some unscrupulous scammer tries to pull the wool over your eyes while dinging your mobile account, you’ll have the chance to say no.
This is a logical and convenient service which all carriers should offer. Why leave your subscribers high and dry while scammers try to steal money from honest folks?
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