premium rate phone Number

2008-04-22 17:47:24

( Telephony )



What is a premium rate phone number? What does it mean to send a premium rate sms? Why would you send a premium sms?

A premium rate phone number is a number for a call whereby certain services are provided. The price for these calls is higher than normal calls.

This is not like a normal call in that some of the charge of the call is collected by the service provider. In this way, these calls fund businesses.

Although the billing is not the same, calls are routed like toll-free numbers.

A national body regulates the issue of such numbers to the service providers. In this way community standards are maintained in terms of both price and content.

The charge of a premium rate phone call appears on your normal phone bill.

Tech support is one common use of premium rate phone numbers. But there are other services like directory enquiries, voting (related to TV shows), competitions, forecasts. Sometimes diplomatic services (embassies) can charge premium rates for general public calls as well. Why would they do this? – possibly to decrease the volume of phone traffic. This tactic is also used by tech support services as a way of reducing the call length.

Premium rate phone numbers are usually allocated in a manner in which they are clearly different from other numbers. Telephone companies also offer a service whereby you can block this number range. In some states they are even obliged to do this.

Computer criminals have used premium rate numbers as a means of defrauding internet users. One of these schemes persuaded the user to make a program download, which unbeknownst to them, dialed one of these numbers and charged it to their user’s bill – and they didn’t have the faintest idea what was happening.

Other premium rate scams?
A television program that persuades young children to dial a premium phone number. The children are not even aware of the charges being incurred.
premium rate phone Number


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