Bulldog to block premium rate calls (after fraud dips)

[El Gringo]

Why is Icstis now allowing Network Operators to bar 09 numbers?
Has the law changed or has the bottom fallen out of the 09 dialler fraud market?

The Register.
By Tim Richardson
Published Tuesday 25th April 2006 16:12 GMT.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/04/25/bulldog_prs/

Bulldog is to block calls to all premium rate phone numbers from tomorrow - unless punters stump up £50 in advance to "opt-in" to the service.

In an email sent last night, the Cable & Wireless (C&W) owned service provider - which provides both phone and broadband services via local loop unbundling - told punters that the new measures would be introduced from Wednesday.

Premium rate numbers - those starting 09 - attract higher call charges ranging from 10p to £1.50 a minute and are used to provide information services such as horoscopes, weather forecasts, competition lines, TV votes, and support services.

But premium rate lines are also used by scammers to generate large amounts of cash from unsuspecting victims and have led to an ongoing bid by industry regulator ICSTIS to crackdown on dodgy operators.

In the email to punters, Bulldog said: "Bulldog is changing its policy regarding premium rate service calls - that's numbers starting 09. As of Wednesday 26 April 2006, you will not be able to call premium rate numbers from your Bulldog phone. If you do want to make premium rate calls you will need to make a pre-payment of £50.00 which will be used against your bill."

But the email has caused uproar among some consumers outraged at having to shell out £50 just to be able to make premium rate calls.

A spokeswoman for the telco told us: "Bulldog believes that it is important to raise awareness of the cost of premium rate services to our customers, protecting those that don't wish to use the services, while allowing customers who do want to use the service to make a positive choice - to opt-in.

"Customers who wish to opt-in will be asked to make a pre-payment of £50 which will be put towards their next total monthly bill.

"We recognise that this may affect individual circumstances of some users and so have provided all our customers with a specific number to call if they have any queries about this change," she said. ®

In 2005, BT claimed they were legally obligated to bill for the numbers, and only the regulator could decide to block them.

The Register.
BT abandons scheme to block rogue diallers
Lines blocked, questions asked
By Tim Richardson
Published Friday 18th February 2005 16:55 GMT
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/02...ogue_diallers/
BT has stopped blocking UK-based premium rate numbers suspected of being used by rogue dialler companies to defraud consumers out of hundreds of pounds.
Instead, it will only block numbers if given the go-ahead by UK premium-rate regulator ICSTIS,

[silver]

right - but you can block 09 numbers on BT if you ask them to block them all for you,.

bulldog have taken the other approach (probably more sensible) that the 09 numbers will be blocked unless you specifically ask for them to be allowed

Sil

[Worldlife]

IMHO this £50 charge would only be fair if it provided a float against scam services and unlimited cover against such fraud over and above this deposit i.e a proper 'insurance' for the consumer

It is however step in the right direction but unless you want access to premium numbers it is best to go for a Telco that will block premium numbers without making a charge.

[silver]

IMHO this £50 charge would only be fair if it provided a float against scam services and unlimited cover against such fraud over and above this deposit i.e a proper 'insurance' for the consumer

It is however step in the right direction but unless you want access to premium numbers it is best to go for a Telco that will block premium numbers without making a charge.

Originally Posted by Worldlife

bulldog is charging 50 quid if you want to opt-in to making 09 calls,. no one else has to pay and the 50 quid is a pre-payment of the 09 charges that you have opted to pay for..

Sil

[Worldlife]

bulldog is charging 50 quid if you want to opt-in to making 09 calls,. no one else has to pay and the 50 quid is a pre-payment of the 09 charges that you have opted to pay for..

Sil

Originally Posted by silver

So Bulldog will compensate you for calls you have not opted to pay for ... i.e the scam calls?

The only reasonable and fair function of a £50 premium from Bulldog would be to offer some form of protection against scammers and this does not seem to be the situation from the hearsay on this thread.

[silver]

read it again, bulldog are by default turning off 09 / prem numbers on customers lines (something BT should do also)

if you want to 'opt-in' and make 09/prem calls then bulldog wants you to have a float of 50quid ready to pay the bills you will incur by calling 09/prem numbers - at least that's my understanding

it's not to stop scams (that best way to do that is to allow bulldog to turn off the 09/prem numbers for you line) it's so that you don't opt in to prem calls make 100's of pounds of calls and then do a runner

Sil

[Worldlife]

Silv as I don't use premium numbers at all and have got a total block I didn't appreciate there were 'good' and 'bad' premium numbers. All to me are outrageously expensive and all could be subject of scams. Am I mistaken here?

Guess it might be helpful to clarify for others too.

Will users still have to pay this £50 charge to access their computer support premium number? I still feel that to impose a £50 charge on responsible customers who would pay their bills is a substantial interest earning venture for Bulldog. The interest earned IMHO should be used to protect customers hit by scam operators.

Essentially Bulldog seem to be washing their hands of responsibility and underlining the regulators cannot guarantee customer protection.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

[silver]

Silv as I don't use premium numbers at all and have got a total block I didn't appreciate there were 'good' and 'bad' premium numbers. All to me are outrageously expensive and all could be subject of scams. Am I mistaken here?

Originally Posted by Worldlife

some ppl want to call the silly priced numbers - for what reason is their choice..

Guess it might be helpful to clarify for others too.

Will users still have to pay this £50 charge to access their computer support premium number? I still feel that to impose a £50 charge on responsible customers who would pay their bills is a substantial interest earning venture for Bulldog. The interest earned IMHO should be used to protect customers hit by scam operators.

Essentially Bulldog seem to be washing their hands of responsibility and underlining the regulators cannot guarantee customer protection.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

bulldog support is an 0800 number but if you require 09/prem rate numbers then you pay 50 quid - which will be used to pay for your phone bill - they aren't keeping the 50 quid it's to put ppl off from enabling the numbers unless they are really sure they need them,. at least that's my understanding,. check will bulldog as I could be wrong

Sil

[janitor1999]

A little while back it was hard to open your newspaper or turn on the news without finding someone who couldn't afford their phone bill because of 09 numbers they hadn't authorised had found there way onto someones phone bill, the teclo's were asked to do something as i can see this is one way to end the problem. so even if you enable the system once your £50 has run out thats it, i believe you need to pay another £50 before it is reactivated again, so therefore the most you should ever be out of pocket is £50, although a lot of money it's better than finding a £400 bill at the end of the month, and if you don't want 09 numbers you don't pay.

[Worldlife]

Thanks for the explanation Janitor.

So if you put your £50 down to get premium calls then your premium rate calls are capped at £50.

That puts things in a better perspective.

[El Gringo]

Quick point.
Firstly for any Network operator to admit that an 09 "service" they have agreed to bill for may be illegal is astonishing.
It's a criminal offence for Bulldog to bill for any service they suspect may be illegal.
"Opt in" or "Opt out" is not an option in law.

The "Opt in" "opt out" solution they are offering is little more than a "Pay as you go" contract.

a pre-payment of £50.00 which will be used against your bill

Look on Grumbletext. Prepaid "Pay as you Go". Thieves love em.