Woman, 74, charged €2 for unsolicited texts

THE Data Commissioner has warned about the dangers of unsolicited rip-off mobile phone texts after a 74-year-old pensioner complained of being stung for €10 per week.

The texts begin to appear after the phone user gives, often by mistake, their mobile number to a marketing company.

Like many others, Margaret Twomey had never requested such texts. But she quickly realised they were costing her €2 every time they popped up. Within 10 days, she had lost €12 in credit.

“I remember how it all started. I was on the internet trying to find directions when I entered a pop-up quiz. I entered my phone number and within seconds I heard a beep on my phone; I had got the first of these texts,” said Ms Twomey, from Mayfield in Cork city.

After a few more texts, she realised they were eating up her phone credit. She contacted her phone provider, 02, who told her that some unscrupulous marketeers are doing this to phone users, with the web-based competition used to obtain personal phone numbers. Ms Twomey contacted the Commission for Communications Regulation, which put her in contact with the Office of the Regulator of Premium Rate Services.

“The regulator was able to work out who the offending company were and they told me that they have to stop the texts within 10 days. That was Sunday night though and, the following day, I got another one of the texts and found myself down another €2,” she said.

Under EU regulation, a person can not send unsolicited communications for the purpose of direct marketing, unless that person has consented to receiving the communication.