By Katy Gilzean

MOBILE PHONE users are being warned of a text message scam. A Dundee man realised he was the victim of the scam after he was charged £3.75 each time he received an unsolicited text message, and he wants to warn others about it.

Willie Robertson, from Stobswell, began to receive random text messages containing jokes three months ago.

He originally dismissed the text messages as junk texts, but after looking at his mobile phone bill, he realised he was being charged between £2.50 and £3.75 per text.

“I have never signed up for anything so I wondered why I was being charged. I phoned O2, which is my service provider, and they gave me very helpful advice.”

O2 told Mr Robertson to contact ICSTIS (Independent Committee for the Supervision of Telephone Information Services), the premium rate services regulator.

They investigated and discovered that a company called Liquid Capital Services had sent him the messages and was also charging him for them.

Mr Robertson said, “They told me that some companies generate random numbers and send out, say, 50,000 text messages with the hope of landing them on actual mobile phones. This must be how I received my messages.

“ICSTIS then told me I should ask Liquid Capital Services for reassurance, in writing, that they would stop sending me text messages and to reimburse me for the texts I did not ask for but received from them.

“They replied saying that I had received the messages by mistake and that people who receive them usually sign up for them.

“However, the day after I got the letter, my wife received one of the unsolicited joke messages on her mobile phone.

“They promised to reimburse me but so far I haven’t received a penny from them.”

Mr Robertson is concerned that the scam messages might be sent to an elderly person or a child.

A spokesperson for Ofcom, the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, said that Mr Robertson had done the correct thing by phoning ICSTIS.

“We always advise mobile phone users never to open a text message from a number you do not recognise.”

A spokesman for Liquid Capital Services denied they had been involved.

“The messages could not have come from us as we only charge £1.20 for each message we send,” the spokesman said. “These services have to be signed up for. We would ask the gentleman to contact us.”

Anyone who has had similar experiences with their mobile phone can contact ICSTIS on 0800 500212.