TV Competition Scam/s

[Pelinster]

Hi, I just wanted to voice this somewhere and I thought it might serve as a warning to someone out there and save them or a loved one a bit of time and money.

I have noticed these ads on telly the last few months that on the surface seem to be a competition where you send an SMS with an answer to what turns out to be a very obvious question (in some cases they almost give you the answer) to enter a draw to win a particular prize.

Now I have read the fine print on these "ads" and they clearly state that the cost will be $2 per sms sent and received and that you have to sms a code to stop the service. I realise this is obviously some kind of scam.

Anyway it seems now that a few of my little 14yr old bro's friends have been had by this scam, which doesn't surprise me, but what does surprise me is that this is still going on. Where are the responsible government bodies when it comes to these scams?

After reading the terms and conditions at one of the offending companies websites (www.text-box.com) what happens is you send the answer via sms to their number and if you are right (which you would have to be pretty informationally challenged to not be) they continue to send more questions. The total of the "first round" is 5 questions.

5 answers, 4 questions (one question is free because it is advertised on telly) at $2 an sms - $18.

Then comes phase 2. The knock-out competition, consisting of another 5 questions, this time it would be $20.

The terms specify that 3 additional messages may be sent (of course they would be) stating the rules and then asking for your address. So the address message would also require a reply, so that is 4 messages all up at another $8.

In the end you (and many other unsuccessful punters) would have paid (by my calculations) $48 to enter a competition, that is really eventually determined by the speed at which you reply with a successful answer to question 10. Of course everyone will have successful answers because the questions are incredibly easy to ensure people are paying their $2 per question. This is aimed at kids as far as I can see, seeing as the prizes consist of x-box 360's, ipods and $2000 cash. Only a kid would see the value in such items, and considering the cost of entering, they are hugely unfair prizes. I remember recently buying a ticket in a raffle for a 1 million dollar home on the Gold Coast, the cost was $10 per ticket.

The biggest issue I have with the ads is their marketing technique. If you read the terms and conditions on the website you would definitely be aware of the scam, but I don't see the ad directing your attention to them in any genuine way that shows a form of responsibility on their behalf.

From the Terms:

2. By sending a sms to 194040, you acknowledge that you have read and understood and agree to be bound by these conditions. If you do not accept these conditions, you must not enter the competition.

On the TV advertisement, they only have details such as "2$ per sms sent and received" and "must be 14yrs or older" and "ask bill payers permission". Nothing to the extent of section 2 of their terms. This to me reeks of the legal loop holes that Spyware use to infect your PC using those "I Agree" windows. But at least they have the contract in your face at the point which they ask you to Agree, the Ad for these has no such contract to agree, however as far as they see it, when you act on their instruction you have agreed to this bullshit.

I can't believe it is still going on. I first saw these ads in December last year, and they may have been running longer than that. Do we really live in a country where this is considered an acceptable business practice? What about TV stations legal obligations regarding what they air?

[gerbil]

yeah it's pretty dodgy, but that's what the entire mobile phone industry is about IMO.

I've seen some similar to that, but the cost per message was around the $100 mark, this single advert was conviniently placed in between other cheaper ads with lots of small print.

Something moreso that I can't understand how governments won't act on is Alcohol advertising incorporating sexuality somehow. I swear there was an uproar years ago about this issue and it came down to sexuality cannot be in any way attached to alcohol advertising, yet it still occurs and more and more alcoholic drinks are being pushed at the youngest age groups possible. Then we bitch about illegal drugs destroying our youth, bah hypocrites! If we got rid of booze and smokes and allowed healthy psychedelic use and education the human race would be onto something special.

Money, marketing, large business, governments etc are all fucked, it's hard to articulate but i'm sure most people can see in most aspects of our society how we are simply greedy people all taking advantage of one another, heading for some unknown goal. Even when businesses know they are doing something wrong and will be caught, they set it up so that they will get a quick cash grab before court issues hit, and then they've got plans on how to get out of that, so essentially they make big bucks with a few hassles along the way.

Ah joy, what a fantastic race we are...

Or maybe i'm just a negative bastard lol but i'm off topic hehe

[Pelinster]

Our societies unbalanced attitude towards Drugs is a constant source of confusion for me. I have read a lot of threads on this forum in the short time I have been a member here and find constant reminders of injustice towards plants, chemicals and people's free choice. The issue that I use a lot in conversation, to express my confusion, is the Salvia Divinorum case. Where this plant and it's contents have been outlawed due to the risk it presents to societies health and it's potential for abuse, and yet Alcohol and Nicotine (Smoking Tobacco) are not controlled in such a way. I am sure however that most people who use these forums share these views. It is comforting in some way to know this though, that there are other people out there who also see it

[Rev]

im sidetracking fellas but this is the mentaility you are up against...

Salvia in Tennessee: Soon to be illegal to consume, still legal to grow

#5508239 - 04/12/06 01:50 PM

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Proposal would outlaw consumption of landscaping herb

WSMV.com

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee would make a mint-like herb illegal for consumption while keeping it lawful for landscaping purposes, under a proposal working its way through the General Assembly.

The bill's sponsor, Rep. Parkey Strader said students in his Knox County district use the leaves of the Salvia divinorum A. plant for mood-altering purposes.

The plant, also known by its street name Maria Pastora, is on the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's "drugs of concern" list, but is not illegal.

The plant can be chewed or smoked to induce hallucinations, according to the DEA.

Strader, a Knoxville Republican, said he is uncertain about the specific effects of the plant.

"I don't know and I don't want our kids to find out either," he told the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. "The bottom line is it's not good for students."

The DEA describes the plant as native to Mexico, growing up to three feet high, with hollow square stems, large green leaves and white flowers.

Committee members asked how domestic use of the plant would be protected.

"If I go home and my wife has used this to decorate the patio, am I clear?" asked House Judiciary Chairman Joe Fowlkes, D-Cornersville.

Strader assured the committee that cultivating the plant "for aesthetic, landscaping or decorative purposes" would continue to be permitted.

Strader agreed to delay action on the bill for a week while sorting out some of the questions posed by the committee. The Senate version is scheduled for a floor vote on Thursday.

A Senate committee had earlier watered down the proposed penalty for growing the plant for consumption from a felony to a misdemeanor.

"It doesn't have a lot of teeth in it as a misdemeanor, but at least it lets the students know that they're not supposed to have it," Strader said.

The companion bill's sponsor, Sen. Tim Burchett, said the lower penalty was a compromise because of the cost.

"That's all we could get. You lock somebody up, you've got to pay for it," said Burchett, R-Knoxville. "Until some big shot's kid gets whacked out on it and runs their car through somebody's front door, you probably won't see anything (stricter)."

Several committee members expressed confusion about only classifying a legitimate plant a drug in certain circumstances.

"I've never done that stuff. I've taken my fair share of the spirits, but I've never got into that other part of life," said Rep. Frank Buck, D-Dowellton, referring to illicit drug use.

House Majority Leader Kim McMillan, D-Clarksville, told Strader that it is "unclear about what it is that we are criminalizing here."

--------------------

"I contend we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours"

-- Stephen Roberts

[Amulte]

yeah i played on of those games once, lernt from that ill tell ya. got to question 3, which i accually answered right , but it came back saying it asked a different question (it asked me a mathematical question, very simple one too like 3+4, chose the right answer 7, and i got back "incorrect, the answer was peirce brosman"). that aint the problem, its the $$ sms you get afterwards, unless you send STOP to the number you will get 2 weekly sms advertising the game, and you pay for it. luckily i was playing on a pre paid account, so once the money ran down we let it be and will not get more credit for it. once a week we get 2 sms saying we dont have eough money in the pre paid account to pay for thier sms they are sending.

FUCK yeah its a scam

not really that much different to the up late phone game. theyll get the 1st caller with the right answer, then let the comp drag out for 20 more mins to give false hope so people with the wrnog answer can call in and give em more money. you got more of a chance here than the sms one, but still scam-o-rama.

i couldnt agree more

[Pelinster]

Strader, a Knoxville Republican, said he is uncertain about the specific effects of the plant.

"I don't know and I don't want our kids to find out either," he told the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. "The bottom line is it's not good for students."

That reminds me of a statement a lot of people seem to make when they are selectively being ignorant of a fact (or series of facts), they may say something along the lines of "Look I don't know. All I know is <insert the only fact they choose to acknowledge>". In the instance above I see Strader as really saying "I choose to be ignorant of everything except for the fact that I don't like people doing anything I don't understand". Wow, now there's a person who should be given some serious power

that aint the problem, its the $$ sms you get afterwards, unless you send STOP to the number you will get 2 weekly sms advertising the game, and you pay for it.

That's insane! So the "service" they mention in their terms is automatically activated when you send the first SMS! Since when is it legal to rip people off?!

not really that much different to the up late phone game. theyll get the 1st caller with the right answer, then let the comp drag out for 20 more mins to give false hope so people with the wrnog answer can call in and give em more money. you got more of a chance here than the sms one, but still scam-o-rama.

The first night I saw it on, I was counting a triangle puzzle, thinking about ringing in with the answer as so many people had called and no-one had the right answer yet.. Then it occurred to me, that hotdogs goon mentioned something about the lines not being busy 'so ring now', and I thought that this is impossible. It is impossible that no-one has rang in in the last 5-10 minutes with any answer at all and that is why he hasn't taken any calls. Then the plot unfolded for me and I realised it was a total scam. I heard him mention something about if you don't get through you leave your name and number, and the answer and they ring you back. So they have control over what answers are presented, so if people are paying to leave an answer, why give up the winner when you can keep tricking people to ring in. They can stick that up-late game right where the whole BB epidemic came from.

[Amulte]

The first night I saw it on, I was counting a triangle puzzle, thinking about ringing in with the answer as so many people had called and no-one had the right answer yet.. Then it occurred to me, that hotdogs goon mentioned something about the lines not being busy 'so ring now', and I thought that this is impossible. It is impossible that no-one has rang in in the last 5-10 minutes with any answer at all and that is why he hasn't taken any calls. Then the plot unfolded for me and I realised it was a total scam. I heard him mention something about if you don't get through you leave your name and number, and the answer and they ring you back. So they have control over what answers are presented, so if people are paying to leave an answer, why give up the winner when you can keep tricking people to ring in. They can stick that up-late game right where the whole BB epidemic came from.

i saw that one too, and the truth is you dont leve name nd number, you call nd you MIGHT be selected to play the computer keeps your number, then they MAY call you back. on the odd occassion(when that G-bug comes round) i have played, BUT ONLY when they start the game, not mid way through. if i can be the 1st caller with the right answer id get selected, but OFCOURSE THAT NEVER happens. i saw that triangle one and striaght away i knew it was 49, so ofcourse i got sucked in and wasted $5 of calls.

My advice is NEVER watch it. wont suck in everyone but it can, prolly the reason its on so late, cuz sleepless or sleepy people make poor decisions.

[Legba]

if you really want to suck the blood out of naive young children, set up one of those ring-tone offers available in magazines, tv or the net. once u get thier ph number, u can send the kids tones every week and charge them accordingly until they werk out how much money its costing them, or thier parents.

not recommended if you have a conscience or believe in karma because people who do this should BURN IN HELL!

[PD.]

Since when is it legal to rip people off?!

Telstra have been doing it for years.

Ever been to a phone box to make a call, only to realise the only coin you have is a two dollar coin?

You make your call, which now cost fifty cents per local call. Lets say the call cost you eighty cents, you have one dollar twenty left. You have two options; 1/ You can push the follow on button and use their wonderful service again to call someone else, or 2/ you can hang up and lose your one dollar twenty to the pay phone.

Alot of my friends think that iam a bit of a tight arse when i go on about this, but here is the example i use;

You go in the supermarket and get thirty five dollars worth of groceries, when paying for the items you use a fifity dollar note. Now the person at the checkout takes your fifty buck note and asks if you would like anything else, if you say no then the money is put into the register and that is the end of the transaction.

I understand that losing a little change isnt a big deal to alot of people, but just think about how many pay phones are out there. I bet that small change adds up to some big bucks for telstra.

sorry about going off topic, but when i hear the words "rip off" i just have to get on my soap box.

[MrBumpy]

Phleb : You need to get someone to teach you the trick with a drinking straw and the pay phone coin return slot... then you won't have to pay for the call

Pelinester : when it has been a slow news day, Today tonight and ACA show stories on these things alot. Mostly because of some child racking up couple of hundred dollars on a phone bill.

Its the same thing for all the SMS businesses, whether they are for a competition, selling ring tones and wallpapers, sending jokes or the SMS dating thing.

The only time I've sent a an SMS to one of these was to one of the services they advertise late at night for lonely individuals... on my mates phone since he was passed out drunk and we thought we'd play a joke on him.

However, I don't know if it is the same for the other services, but this one sent a confirmation message first stating all the charges that would follow if we were to continue. I reckon these should be compulsory for all of these services.

Also, since kids are gullible enough to join these things, parents should only give them prepaid accounts. The marketing and stuff might be underhanded, but it is a simple precaution to take so you don't get screwed by them, and at the same time teach the kid some value of money.

-bumpy

[PD.]

Phleb : You need to get someone to teach you the trick with a drinking straw and the pay phone coin return slot... then you won't have to pay for the call

LOL

Everyone i know used to use "the straw trick" when using the telstra public phones. It seems telstra cottoned on to the practice fairly quickly and modified the phones, thus putting a stop to free phone calls.

Its hard to scam a scammer!

[Anton]

You got to give it to them though, its a brilliant way to make money. The prizes only cost a pittance in the end and they probly gave it too their kids anyway. The beauty of naive kids and the magic of fine print.

Id probly do this if i wasnt afraid id never sleep at night again

[botanika]

Since when is it legal to rip people off?!

Ever since the legal system was formally put in place :D

[Francois le Danque]

a Knoxville Republican, said he is uncertain about the specific effects of the plant.

LOL that's JUST like the thing in america where the senator who was about to vote for pot to be illegal and he asked the other

"what's marihuana?"

to which the other replied

"I don't know. I believe it is a narcotic of some kind."

hahha. back on topic i also only recently noticed the $2 per message thing at the bottom of those ads. horribly stupid things they are. preying on unintelligent small teens. I love the questions they ask, such as "TV stands for A: Television. B: Transvideo." lol.

back off topic a current affair and propaganda tonight suck . "tonight on our poll: Should criminals go to jail? we reveal the surprising results tomorrow." Losers.

[jasemateau]

i want a 19 number!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

stupid parents who give there kids phones NOT on a prepaid account almost deserve to taken for a quick buck.

i've got some great ideas for them!!!!!!!!!

but nothing like that that fucking crazy frog thing, oooo i hated the crazy frog! (frog)