Premium rate numbers are the ones where you get charged for calling.

These are prefixed with 09, 118, 0871, 0872 and 0873.

Take care when phoning any of the numbers – the costs can add up rapidly.

It’s easy to assume that people who are scammed either didn’t pay enough attention to the details or were too trusting, but that’s not usually the case.

Anyone can be tricked and although some scammers are as dumb as dirt, there are many who are very professional about the methods they use to con innocent people.

Different types of scams may exploit different aspects our personality, but there are common features to most scams, including:

• Appeals to trust and authority – scammers claim to be from government departments, driver licensing, utility suppliers, major brands, the tax office etc.
• Visceral triggers i.e. anything that creates desire or greed, or the avoidance of pain, happiness etc.
• Herd validation e.g. testimonials from people who have bought the product and tell how wonderful it is
• A huge payment in return for a small cost
• Scarcity i.e. the product is only available now and will soon be gone
• Conspiracy theories e.g. an array of lawyers are trying to get this website taken down

These factors may push the victim to ignore any consequences and the risk involved and instead focus on the potential high rewards.

The key message for people wanting to stay safe from such scams is simply to consider carefully and not be pushed into precipitate action. Is the offer genuine or much more likely to be a scam? Is it to good to be true? If yes then it’s a scam.

Fleeceware is the name for APPS that deliver some benefit but charge far too much compared to similar APPS. E.g. a basic flashlight APP for $10 when usually these are free or come pre-installed on your phone.

The problem is not that there is something malicious in these APPS – just that they are ripping people off.

Google and APPLE check all APPS for malware but don’t have such clear rules on value for money as that is a more personal choice. However, APPS that obviously rip people off do get banned by both Google and APPLE.

Usually these Fleeceware APPS have subscription charges or hidden charges or both and people sign up without realising they can get the same thing either free or at a much reduced price.

Sophos, an Internet security firm, found 25 such apps on Google Play that had a combined total of more than 600 million downloads. They also found 30 apps in the iOS App Store that can be considered Fleeceware APPS.

Scammers may choose any high selling APP where they can duplicate basic functionality easily and then con people into the high charges. To improve their ranking, they will also typically create zombie accounts and use those to post outstanding reviews of the APP.

Sometimes there is a free trial period listed on the adverts but the APP insists on payment on first use, or the adverts show a reasonable subscription charge annually but then the APP charges that same amount every month or has In APP charges that cannot be avoided etc.

Once installed, users may think that deleting the APP will stop the recurring charges, but this is often not the case and the charges continue.

Google has announced that it will tighten the rules on how introductory free subscriptions work and other ongoing costs and that cancellation must be simple and actioned by the APP supplier.

Apple’s guidelines for developers explicitly prohibit unreasonable pricing, bait-and-switch subscriptions, and scams. Apple also say that they will reject expensive apps that try to cheat users with irrationally high prices.

How to Avoid Fleeceware

First thing is to only download apps from the Android or APPLE shop and not from elsewhere unless it is guaranteed to be safe.

Before choosing any APP with costs, check around to see if it is the right price and whether there are better options available.

If you have any experiences with these scams do let me know, by email.