Beware of IQ test scam

I want to bring to your awareness of an incident that happened to me for the past 15 months that has much to do with facebook users.

Last year, I did an IQ test in facebook and it requested me to enter my phone number in order to know my IQ score. Upon receiving the result, my handphone provider sent me a sms informing that RM3 will be charged for the sms just now.

After that day, I received IQ sms everyday. My husband is the one managing all the bills at home. He realized that my phone bills were going high but thinking that it was due to high utilization, he continued to pay the bill as usual.

It was only until recently that I have requested for itemized billings from my handphone service provider as I am well aware of my usage for the past 1 month, which was not in keeping with amount billed. To my HORROR, I finally found out that these daily junk IQ sms which irritates me to no ends, is charging me RM3 each.

I have never consented to subscription of any services from that operator. The SMS that they sent me didn’t indicate any details at all that I have subscribed to such services and I’ll be charged such and such accordingly.

Because of my carelessness and dumbness, this 36181 operator (which I triggered it through facebook), has caused me a loss of more than RM1K, in an act that can best be described as robbery in broad daylight.

I’m sure I’m not the first victim of this scam and certainly would not be the last, I think this is a serious fraud as these scammers may have made millions out of the general public as a whole. I am not hopeful that I can recover my loss but let my misfortune be a lesson for all to learn. Don’t let these robbers get away with our hard-earned money.

Steps of precaution:
1. Have itemized billings
2. Cancel auto-billing service, pay only after you have confirmed everything
3. Bar sms operators from sending paid messages
4. Never ever give away your handphone number to unknown source, e.g. online wallpaper download, online ringtone download, etc, etc………………