SMS-trap, or, How to pay via SMS on the Internet

In the past month, began appearing in the online publication, the various nuances of payment via SMS on the Internet. Including, and unpleasant, for buyers of services, points of technology. People trite "get on the money." First, due to personal negligence, and secondly, because of incorrect, in my opinion, providing information on conditions of payment, sellers of services. I'll try to make out in this article, from the perspective of an ordinary user, some questions of technology SMS payments. As well as determining the value of SMS to short number, some tricks vendors targeting users of inattention and ignorance of their essence of the process.

Technology Payment SMS messages, the user's eyes

By itself, the payment for services on the Internet via SMS is not a bad thing. In a society where, still, bank cards are used primarily for removal of wages in ATM - is the most convenient way to pay for services on the Internet. For a SMS to short number, you can: access the Private area of this site, pay for electronic goods, buy keys for games and software, to replenish the balance in the various services, buy a premium account's on fayloobmennikah, pay for online services in social networks such as "classmates "or" VKontakte "and much more. This payment method is dynamically developing and encompasses more and more different areas in the network.

So, now, anyone with a web resource can bind to its draft system of payment for services or goods via SMS. Even I:). This is done with the help of special services under the name: "SMS-billing. SMS-billing as an intermediary between the mobile operator and the seller. Through it run all operations for the short numbers.

In general, the process is as follows. You, the buyer who wants to buy the service, send to the proposed seller of the four-digit type "XXXX", smsku from your mobile with text such as «PAY QWERTY +342», and in return receive a SMS with a code or a key to anything. Here, "XXXX" - is not a unique number just for this seller. This number is universal for a particular value of the amount which would remove a mobile operator with your account. Unique to the seller is the message (prefix) that you send to this number, and it is for him billing determines the answer that comes to you in response SMS.

Therefore, short numbers, which are required to send smski crooks, for example, to unlock the browser from pornoinformera or operating system, not themselves fraudulent. Example - this short numbers 3649 and 4460. And here is the text of the message which I hope you did not send, if they had such problems, and a short number to which it is required to send, please feel free to send a complaint to support billing, and their attendants. We must seek to block the payment of these rates for text messages.

How do you know the cost of SMS to short number

We turn to the main issue. The most important thing you need to know if you decide to make payment via SMS, is the actual amount to be withdrawn from your operator for sending SMS.

First. The best way to get the most accurate information about the cost smski on a short number, will call the technical support of your mobile operator. Most likely, you will be redirected to the operator, working with financial information. Incidentally, this service can also be paid. At this point you know best - your operator.

Second. You can find SMS-billing, service specific short number. For example, specifying in search engine queries such as: "the cost of SMS to number XXXX" or "XXXX + + billing rates. You can also go through the list of sms-billing-site-directory billing SMSobzor.ru. Look for the cost of SMS to the number of sections such as "rates". You will see that for different operators the cost of SMS may vary considerably.

Third. There are several services to find the cost of SMS to short number. They have at their bases, there is information about the cost of services linked to the mobile operator. Most sensible, that I found this: SMS-price, SMScost, Flapps. Work in these services easily. Enter the form number and presses the button «Enter» - get a list of operators and corresponding to each value. How these data are accurate, can not be judged responsible. But comparing the data across multiple rooms, services and billing, and saw that they are identical. Obviously, SMS-price takes data from billing, and SMScost - and with billing and communications with the users themselves.

Only after learning the actual amount of payment, is to decide the feasibility of the payment. Perhaps you do not have access to a monthly service for $ 10, but enough for 12 hours and a half, or one film per dollar. Closely Meet the terms of payment, because the first sentence from the seller not the cheapest. Everything is like in real life, such marketing. But on this see below.

Pitfalls of payment via SMS sites

What can I say ... Everyone wants to make money: and cellular operators, and billing services, and sellers. A recent strangles "toad" because of the fact that they receive only 50% of the CMC. So resorted to various tricks, for the introduction of user confusion regarding the terms of payment. And less than expected "lifetime" service, the more misleading.

By the way, the most accurate information about the payment, provided by large portals on the old. I used SMS payment on Mail.ru and Odnoklassniki "- in both cases it was stated correctly. Obviously, the risk of losing revenue and customers for improper billing, they do not want

Another thing with the so called SMS who pay. It services such as "Test", "Determination of the history of the name", "Search to find a subscriber to the number", "Intercepting SMS, online access to content (content) sites adult themes, download movies and so on.

Most white way of providing the information I saw in the movies. First, give the number of access to No Limit download per month, and only slightly lower than the number of cheaper options (1 movie, 3 films, 1 week). But it is done within a single browser window, and the text is clearly visible in contrasting background. Tu only need not to hurry, and carefully read the terms and check the cost of a SMS to short number.

But it is in the best case. Another may simply put a link to a page with the billing rates. And often, you'll see text like: "Access to the month 5p * SMS to number XXXX. Asterisk noticed? Most likely, sending SMS, you pay for access to the service or execution of services (tests, gathering information about the names) for a month at least. Only you will know about it after payment. And if you still decide to learn first, which means "*", then somewhere in the bottom of the page light gray letters on a white background will be written in terms. And if the background color, the font color is closest to the background color. And perhaps more will have to scroll down a couple of totally blank browser windows until the get to the text. Or "*" will be marked with other conditions of use and, somewhere on the page in small print a link to the access rules. And there will again be light text on a white background and a large empty field between the rules and proper use of the terms of payment.

To check availability of light slabovidimogo text on the page, I shake your keyboard «Ctrl + A», or the left mouse button selects all text on the page. The background will be black and white text. And you can read what we found:
Price per day;
access to the service is carried out by at least 30 days;
for authorization to send 3 SMS straight to the short number (ie, the price will be even more);
different operators cost varies, and some will have to pay at least 60 days access


Of course, not necessarily just such a set, but this is the biggest pitfalls of pay for these sites.

Another problem in the payment via SMS, your inattention while typing in the sending SMS. The text must be exactly what is specified in terms of payment for a short number. This means that all spaces should be spaces, numbers, letters and signs are spelled correctly. If you make a mistake, the money can be withdrawn at the cost of SMS to short number, and the service you receive. How then to understand I do not know - most likely, you will lose money. Although a similar experience I had when buying a key to one of the training courses. But then everything was decided by direct communication with the seller, because the text SMS from me went right, but only the code sent to the billing, did not work.

Innovations in the form of SMS-subscription

In addition to the above phenomena now have another kind of withholding money from the user, using inattention and passion of man to freeloading. This method is called "SMS subscription". In this case, the user is prompted to enter your number in the form, then the phone comes free with smska code.

So, if you enter this code on the site, you agree to themselves to collect money from your room. Cheating money will begin within 24 hours of free access and will continue every day for a month. Sites with such payment, I have not seen and do not know whether there is in a way to stop collecting money from the account. Although the idea of access to subscription-positive. But only if you're charged for the action: get every day - to cancel, but not gone - not gone anyway. It is implemented GPRS-Internet access in some mobile operators. At the same time, the Internet is information appeared on the introduction of user confusion manner of payment.

Summarize.

I believe that SMS payment, in essence, a positive phenomenon in the Internet, and which, naturally, enjoy the crooks. All the same, the user can easily pay for the goods or service and get them quickly, without the use of payment systems and bank cards. The owners of resources can provide quality services and goods for payment. However, you should always be careful and understand the value and method of providing services. We need to understand whether you pay for the service 300 or more rubles Unscrupulous seller. Maybe easier to go to the store?

Part 1 / 2 We consider the application to pay by SMS on the Internet. How do I know the exact cost of SMS to short number. Services SMS-billing.

Part 2 / 2 are considered subterfuge resorted to by different vendors of services for SMS payment, to the Internet. (Video came out, though, a little chaotic)