Gary Corbett wants unscrupulous sms traders banned

[El Gringo]

http://www.silicon.com/research/spec...599,00.htm?r=1
Mobile spam: Is the next plague upon us?
Published: Wednesday 11 June 2003

Gary Corbett, MD for Opera Telecom, which operates premium mobile phone services for companies such as EMAP and Tiscali, said: "It's about time SMS service providers and network operators started to take more responsibility for self-regulation in order to safeguard the credibility of our fledgling industry.

"SMS has been on the crest of a wave as marketeers start to appreciate the potential of its application within their environment. However, ICSTIS [the mobile phone regulator the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services] continues to receive a growing number of consumer complaints as some mobile gateway companies consistently ignore guidelines and exploit consumers."

Corbett has little sympathy for those companies bringing his industry into disrepute.

"Let's get tough with offenders and impose heavy penalties for misuse of SMS services," he said. "And if necessary let's lobby to terminate licence agreements and access to networks. This way we can banish the unscrupulous traders to history."

Gary Corbett ought to put the suggestion to Ofcom.

[Hamlet]

Mr Corbett! He has been in the NOC for years and he must know all the debates about "aggressive marketing" and the "grey zone" between "aggressive marketing" and crimnal activity they had at their meetings. [edit: I was so sure that I would find the source to a summary of that debate, but I couldn't. I keep on digging in the dirt...]

[El Gringo]

whoa we're going to Barbados

http://www.broadstreetnews.com/index..._articleid=824
In the UK, Opera Telecom is hit by Bds$1 million fine, but is the company also operating in Barbados?
October 1, 2007

ICSTIS, the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of the Telephone Information Services and the industry-funded regulatory body for all premium rate charged telecommunications services, last Monday imposed a fine of £250,000 or just over one million Barbados dollars, on the company Opera Telecom, a major supplier of TV phone-in competitions to some British broadcasters.

ICSTIS found that in Opera Telecom’s competitions, all correct entries submitted after a certain time each day had no chance of winning, despite consumers being charged for entering. As a result, over four years at least 18 million callers had been charged an estimated £20m (or about Bds$80m) for entering the competition without having any chance of winning.

The fine is the highest imposed by the body in its 21-year history.

Opera Telecom was also banned from running phone-in competitions for 12 months and was ordered to make a full refund to viewers who have complained.

GMTV, the broadcaster in the scandal, is itself awaiting its penalty, which will come from the broadcasting regulator Ofcom. GMTV suspended all such competitions in April. Ofcom has already hit Channel 5 with a £300,000 fine for similar irregularities.

Meanwhile, in Barbados, hotelier Adrian Loveridge has written to Minister of Consumer Affairs Lynette Eastmond, who has responsibility for the Fair Trading Commission, asking her to comment on whether Opera Telecom may be operating in Barbados.

Mr. Loveridge says he became convinced that a series of ads which aired on CBC Channel 8 were the work of the same company.

Mr. Loveridge says he contacted the Opera Telecom via email and received a reply from a Ms Joanne Nugent as General Manager of an organisation called Opera Interactive Caribbean, and giving a Barbados telephone number and a UK fax number, which he says turned out to be the fax number of the Birmingham headquarters of Opera Telecom. However, Ms. Nugent told him that Opera Interactive (Barbados) Ltd had no connection to Opera Telecom.

Mr. Loveridge says that he is not convinced, and adds that his research at the Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property office turned up a company listed as Opera Interactive (Barbados) Ltd.

Mr. Loveridge says the TV spots shown on local television clearly display Opera Telecom.

He adds that over the last few days yet another competition, this one called Barbados Lucky Numbers, has started to appear both on CBC Channel 8 and in half page print ‘ads’ in the press.
Again, he says, respondents are requested to call or text at a cost of BDS$2.30, yet no company is listed as the operator of the competition.

Mr. Loveridge also says that, as with the previous Opera Telecom competition, no list of winners has been published and as far as he knows, the public has not been informed as to what funds or profits were generated from this promotion.

[El Gringo]

from Barbados to the emerald isles

http://ireland.oitg.com/index.cfm?PageID=218

APOLOGY FROM OITG IRELAND

On the afternoon of Tuesday 22nd May, due to human error, 42 of our valued subscribers were accidentally resent old mobile subscription messages.

We have now called every subscriber affected and are fully committed to refunding our subscribers for all costs incurred.

OITG Ireland would like to apologise for the inconvenience caused and wish to acknowledge to support of the Mobile Operators, Regtel and Office of the Data Protection Commissioner for their assistance in bringing this unfortunate incident to a rapid conclusion. Following discussions with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner it was agreed that this apology would be posted on our website and we would make a large donation to charity as a gesture of goodwill.

and all done with limited damage to consumer trust
where have we heard that before
ah yes i remember. in the UK

http://www.operatelecom.com/
ICSTIS adjudication into GMTV competitions.

Opera Telecom has apologised unreservedly for the occurrence of the errors and has worked diligently with GMTV and has put in place remedies following its own and GMTV's investigations.

yes a very sorry company

[El Gringo]

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en...e+Search&meta=
Authorities In Barbados Allow Opera Telecom To **** On Our Rules & Regulations ~ Where Is Minister Lynette Eastmond?
November 13, 2007
..............
It has been almost two months since Adrian Loveridge brought to the attention of Barbados the murky operation of Opera Telecom. This British company has been running its game of chance on our lone TV station, Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), and also on the front pages of the Nation newspaper. We have tried to identify if they were any winners of the competition since the launch but despite the best efforts of Adrian Loveridge et al, we have been unsuccessful.
............

.

Gee but its great to be back home
Home is where I want to be
I've been on the road so long my friend
that if you come along I know you wouldn't disagree
that its the same old story
everywhere I go I get slandered, libeled
I hear words I never heard in the bible
and I'm so tired,
I'm oh ho ho ho ho so tired,
I'm just tryin' to keep the customers satisfied,satisfied.

Deputy sheriff said to me
tell me what you came here for boy
You better get your bags and flee
You're in trouble boy
And now you're heading into more
and its the same old story
everywhere I go
I get slandered, libeled
I hear words I never heard in the bible
and I'm one step ahead of the shoe shine
Two steps away from the county line
I'm just tryin' to keep the customers satisfied, satisfied.
by Simon And Garfunkel

[El Gringo]

what is known?
http://bajan.wordpress.com/2007/11/1...-barbados-ltd/
for instance

Domain name: CARIBBEANPHONEIDOL.COM
Registrant:
Tistis Ltd
Nicosia Street
Kastoros Street
Nicosia
Cyprus, Cyprus NONE
CY

Administrative Contact:
Rogers, Dan
3 Brindley Place
Birmingham, West Midlands B1 2JB
GB
+44.08081313131 Fax: +44.08718720217

Technical Contact:
Rogers, Dan
3 Brindley Place
Birmingham, West Midlands B1 2JB
GB
+44.08081313131 Fax: +44.08718720217

Opera i know but Tistis Ltd?

[Hamlet]

[ --> http://www.the-scream.co.uk/forums/t25974.html? ]

http://whois.webhosting.info/caribbeanphoneidol.com
-->
http://whois.webhosting.info/62.232.41.193

1 1999TONE.COM.
2 BID4FUN.NET.
3 CARIBBEANPHONEIDOL.COM.
4 CLUBMOBI.COM.
5 FONEPUNK.COM.
6 MAGICMOB.COM.
7 OITG.COM.
8 OITG.NET.
9 OPERAINTERACTIVE.COM.
10 OPERAINTERACTIVE.NET.
11 OPERARADIOSERVICES.COM.
12 OPERATECHNOLOGYSERVICES.COM.
13 OPERATECHNOLOGYSERVICES.NET.
14 OPERATELE.COM.
15 OPERATELECOM.COM.
16 OPERATELECOM.INFO.
17 TURTLETONEZ.COM.
18 WICKEDMOBILES.COM.

Registrant: Tistis Ltd Nicosia Street Kastoros Street Nicosia Cyprus, Cyprus NONE CY

"After a LOT of research, I have discovered that the parent company TisTis Limited owns two UK companies:
Fonedream Limited - http://www.fonedream.com/
and
ThoughtCrystal Limited
Mr G P Baines is the sole Director of Fonedream Limited - I think this is the one sending spams. "
source: Grumbletext

fonedream & opera:
http://www.dmeurope.com/default.asp?ArticleID=1484

Thought Crystal Ltd = Fonedream
http://www.business-sale.com/enterta...12598163c.html
"Thought Crystal Ltd trading as fonedream"
(but I have not found a confirmation of fonedream~tistis)
tistis ltd = telemob.com
http://www.aboutus.org/TeleMob.com

Tistis Ltd
webmaster(at)findatone.co.uk
08700100415, Fax: 08700100416

telemob.com offers services for Germany

"To order by SMS, text
tmob Back On The Chain Gang - The Pretenders Nokia 1101 to -
82008
2 X 1,99€/SMS, VF D2 Anteil 0,12€, all operators

To order by phone call -
01908 02324
€1.86 per min.
Call duration avg 3 mins.
Calls from mobiles may cost more."
(0190 is no longer in service in Germany...)


on the website you find an ad for gamrock.com
Registrant: Opera Telecom Ltd 3 Brindley Place Birmingham Birmingham, West Midlands B1 2JB GB Domain name: GAMROCK.COM

telemob.com is TISTIS
Administrative Contact: Nikaloau, Nicolas webmaster@findatone.co.uk Nicosia Street Kastoros Street Nicosia Cyprus, Cyprus CY-1087 CY 08700100415 Fax: 08700100416

so there is nothing left to ask for this part of the story

oitg.com
Registrant: Opera Telecom Ltd 3 Brindley Place Birmingham, West Midlands B1 2JB GB Domain name: OITG.COM Administrative Contact: Rogers, Dan dan.rogers@operatelecom.com

remember

Registrant: Tistis Ltd Nicosia Street Kastoros Street Nicosia Cyprus, Cyprus NONE CY Domain name: CARIBBEANPHONEIDOL.COM Administrative Contact: Rogers, Dan domains@operatelecom.com 3 Brindley Place Birmingham, West Midlands B1 2JB GB +44.08081313131 Fax: +44.08718720217

for example:
wickedmobiles.com

Registrant: Phonovation 8 Clarinda Park North Dun Laoghaire Co Dublin none, none none IE +353.12843011 Domain Name: WICKEDMOBILES.COM Administrative Contact: Woods, Paddy sean@phonovation.com 8 Clarinda Park North Dun Laoghaire Co Dublin none, none none IE +353.12843011
@phonovation (see icstis)

[El Gringo]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/spo...cle3716652.ece
April 10, 2008
David Sullivan and Karren Brady arrested as part of corruption inquiry

Two of the most colourful characters in English football were arrested yesterday by police investigating alleged corruption in the game. David Sullivan, the Birmingham City co-owner, and Karren Brady, the club’s managing director, were questioned by City of London Police on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and false accounting. It is understood that the transfer of Aliou Cissé from Birmingham to Portsmouth in 2004, handled by Willie McKay, the agent, is at the centre of the investigation.

“David Sullivan and Karren Brady, on behalf of Birmingham City Football Club, were invited to co-operate with a City of London Police investigation and have happily done so,” the Barclays Premier League club said in a statement last night. “By longstanding appointment, they have willingly attended interviews. Birmingham City is fully committed to helping the police with their inquiries. For the avoidance of doubt, no charges have been brought. We have been requested by the police not to comment further whilst their inquiry is ongoing.”

Last November, officers arrested a series of high-profile figures in the game in a series of raids. Among them were Harry Redknapp, the Portsmouth manager, Peter Storrie, the Portsmouth chief executive, Milan Mandaric, the Leicester City chairman, Amdy Faye, the former Portsmouth player, and McKay. Last month, detectives raided Birmingham’s offices as part of the inquiry. Officials at St Andrew’s insisted that they were assisting officers in their pursuit of parties with no direct association to the club.

Cissé, initially brought to England from Montpellier in a £1.5 million deal in 2002, left Birmingham for Portsmouth in August 2004. Having fallen out with Steve Bruce, the Birmingham manager at the time, the Senegal player was on the verge of joining Crystal Palace on loan when Portsmouth, managed by Redknapp, signed him for £300,000.

Sullivan has a fortune of about £600 million, a property empire and the largest chain of sex shops in the UK. After making his fortune in the adult entertainment industry and owning the Daily Sport and Sunday Sport newspapers, Sullivan invested in Birmingham 15 years ago, when he saw the club advertised for sale in the Financial Times.

Birmingham had fallen on hard times and were bottom of the second tier in English football when Sullivan arrived, but after being frustrated in his attempts to buy West Ham United and turning his nose up at Cardiff City, Watford, Bradford City, Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur — “I could have had Spurs for £3 million, but they were £25 million in debt,” he said — he and his partners, David and Ralph Gold, handed over £1.2 million and transformed the club’s fortunes.

His love affair with the club looked as if it was over last year when he agreed to sell to Carson Yeung, the Hong Kong businessman, but he stayed at the club, with David Gold, the chairman, when Yeung failed to go through with the deal before Christmas.

Brady hit the headlines when she became the managing director of Birmingham at the age of 23, in 1993. She is married to Paul Peschisolido, the former Birmingham forward, is a non-executive director of Channel 4 and Mothercare and has a seat on the board of Sport England. She became the youngest managing director of a UK plc when the club were floated on the Stock Exchange in 1997.

McKay, who represents several Birmingham players and is believed to have close links with Sullivan, was arrested in November — he was not charged — as part of Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington’s Quest inquiry into alleged “bungs” in the game.

“I don’t need to clear my name,” McKay told The Times. “The Quest investigation has followed all the paperwork through and cleared me of any wrongdoings on transfers.”

.

[El Gringo]

Scam Diallers are Allowed Back

Based on an article from Yahoo

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.

In June last year BT responded to mounting concerns about rogue dialler software - which secretly changes computer settings so they call a premium rate phone line instead of their usual ISP number - and began proactively blocking calls to these numbers. The telco also agreed to forego its share of the money generated by these expensive calls.

However, it's understood that BT has now decided to abandon its "block now ask questions later" policy.
Instead, it will only block numbers if given the go-ahead by UK premium-rate regulator ICSTIS, although The Register understands the telco is still prepared to block suspected numbers that originate from outside the UK.

When BT announced plans to protect consumers last year BT's Gavin Patterson said: We have decided to act on this issue, which is causing genuine concern to us and thousands of our customers. When a premium rate number is suspected of being used to deliver rogue diallers we will block traffic to that number without waiting for the regulator to complete an investigation. We need to minimise the number of customers being affected as quickly as we can and we can't allow any more of our customers to fall victim while the sometimes lengthy investigative process gets underway.

BT's tough stand was even given the backing of ICSTIS which said that action at the network level, like BT is taking, protects customers and builds trust in the internet and premium charging.

In the first four months in operation BT blocked 1,000 numbers it believed were being used to run premium-rate dialler scams. During that time it dealt with 45,000 cases where customers had run up inflated phone bills because of rogue diallers

This change of heart seems to be related to them being sued by Opera Telecom. Opera Telecom, which leased out some of the numbers, is suing BT for revenues lost by its customer Netcollex, which is linked to David Sullivan's Daily Sport publishing empire.

Rob Johnson, chief executive of Netcollex, said his firm operated only ethical dialler numbers. Our numbers are transparent. Only people who know they are dialling them are charged. We want the hackers out of business.'

suspected of being used by rogue dialler companies to defraud consumers
were questioned by City of London Police on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud

BT's customers were victims of fraud, they were not bloody consumers. Are victims of muggings consumers of theft?