March 9, 2006
Porn sent to new cell phone - but cell phone number was recycled
This is the second story I've read about new cell phones sold with recycled cell phone numbers, padding the new owners bills with subscriptions by previous owners. The first was in the US, this one happened in England.
A UK dad is outraged that his teenage son was bombarded with unsolicited pornographic text messages through his mobile phone - and charged for it, according to the local paper in his hometown, The Wilmslow Express.
The father bought his son a cameraphone for his 17th birthday and was shocked to receive a bill for £150 the first month.
According to the paper."His son told him someone was sending him adult content - explicit and pornographic material- but he did not know who, why or even how to stop it.
Will, a training consultant, discovered his son had been given a recycled phone number and the previous owner had signed up to an adult dating service.
Related:
-- Getting a new Cell Phone -- and the Old Owner's Subscriptions - An interesting article in The Washington Post on how the US cell phone industry phone industry routinely recycles used cell phone numbers and how subscriptions to online services from previous owners can be charged to new users.
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