Cell Phone Bill Scams

Loudoun is a county with lots of children and ubiquitous use of technology. As such, we are especially vulnerable to scams and shady practices which prey on children and technology, even while the same technology helps parents and children stay in touch in emergencies.

I strongly urge readers to surf over to Loudoun Force and read their discussion of the latest questionable cell phone bill practice.

As soon as I got my child a cell phone, I noticed these two itemized charges, under the “Downloads and Premium Content” section:

257 Subscription Surfpin Alerts $9.99
258 Subscription Surfpin Alerts $9.99

I spoke with a rep from the cell company, who indicated that I needed to turn off web access to make these go away. I immediately did. However, recently I noticed the charges where still there.

I called the cell company again, a bit incensed this time. I found that Surfpin had apparently underhandedly signed my kids up for some monthly subscription service. Something my child had no idea he did. - Loudoun Force

In our world of prevalent and inherent connectivity and technology, it is ever more important to pay close attention to our bills and the companies with which we do business.

Perhaps this is the kind of thing our Attorney General or the SCC could look into?