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[Closed] Text from 85861 - supposedly Vodafone, knows what I've looked at on here?!

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I've had a text from that number giving me the chance to win some BMW alloys and winter tyres. Obviously that is quite a specific prize, but funnily enough I looked at a for sale ad on here offering just that!
It turns out the number is nothing to do with Vodafone, so I'm now left wondering how someone knows about what I've looked at online?
I've ran a malware/virus scan but it found nothing.

Anyone else had similar?

Edit - unless it is just a coincidence that I looked at that ad and they know what car I drive from my insurance? It still seems a bit dodgy though.


 
Posted : 21/11/2014 2:17 am
 beej
Posts: 4209
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It's a targeted Vodafone Select offer. To opt out, text STOP to 8586.

You've probably been targeted because of another piece of info you've given to someone. Could be insurance company database, could be something else. Have you used the Vodafone Select app? If you've ever entered a marketing survey or ticked a "share my info for offers" box where you've mentioned BMW that will be stored somewhere. Do you read all the small print/T&Cs on all web forms/contracts?

It won't be because you looked at a for sale advert on here. Phone companies do have records of browsing from a mobile phone (legally they have to, plus for customer care questions when people want to know how they used their data) but only top level domain (and maybe after the first /, so singletrackworld.com/forum would be logged but nothing more).

(I've been involved with this as part of my job)


 
Posted : 21/11/2014 10:11 am
 Drac
Posts: 50592
 

Be very very careful replying to them.

http://www.smswatchdog.com/text-message-from/85861/1


 
Posted : 21/11/2014 10:13 am
 beej
Posts: 4209
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Looks like people are spoofing the shortcode - so it might be genuine, might be spoofed.

STOP to 8586 will opt you out if they are genuine.

See here:
[url= http://www.vodafone.co.uk/about-this-site/terms-and-conditions/select/ ]http://www.vodafone.co.uk/about-this-site/terms-and-conditions/select/[/url]


 
Posted : 21/11/2014 10:21 am
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I got my Vodafone bill a few days ago that was higher than normal. I found 5 text messages at £2.50 each received from 66033. It turns out they are from a company called babes2mobile that you can subscribe to. I did receive a few texts telling me I had subscribed and text stop to cancel but I deleted them knowing they were a scam. I didn't realise they could charge you anyway. In the end I had to ring the company associated with 66033 and directly cancel it and they are sending me a check with a refund.
No idea how it happened as I have never subscribed to anything like that and I'm annoyed that they are able to just keep sending them and charging £2.50 a time.


 
Posted : 21/11/2014 10:34 am
 Drac
Posts: 50592
 

No idea how it happened as I have never subscribed to anything like that

[img] [/img]


 
Posted : 21/11/2014 10:37 am
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Cheers for the replies. I'm just going to ignore it for now. It just seems too much of a coincidence that I'd looked at the ad about about the wheels when I've never looked into anything like that before.


 
Posted : 21/11/2014 9:20 pm
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I've got a couple of sets of bmw alloys for sale if you're interested.....!


 
Posted : 21/11/2014 10:53 pm
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send them a text


 
Posted : 21/11/2014 10:59 pm
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mikertroid if you still have the bmw alloys I am interested.


 
Posted : 10/12/2014 12:58 am