Fraudulent SMS scam Vicebolt at Orange: here's how to react

By fashionlifeshopping 02/06/2022 1193 Views

An internet user, a customer at Orange, reports a fraudulent SMS scam that generates a subscription to a "service" paying 5 euros per week apparently without any manipulation or confirmation on the part of the user.

The scam already known in France has already existed for a few months in Belgium: it takes the form of an SMS, often in Dutch. It comes from a company called Vicebolt, which is impossible to contact, which prevents any appeal.

Block fraudulent number

Last September, the operator who had not been able to provide Vicebolt's contact details (which invoiced via a company called CMTelecom, which was also unreachable), in at least one case, reimbursed the amounts unduly levied.

If you find yourself confronted with such a scam, it is advisable to notify the operator. The solution is to block the fraudulent number, or even all multimedia purchases: "we are regularly informed of fraud of this type. As soon as one of them is notified to us, we immediately block the number associated with the fraud," explains Jean-Pascal Bouillon d'Orange.

Arnaque au SMS frauduleux Vicebolt chez Orange: voici comment réagir

He adds: "however, it is important to understand that customers regularly subscribe to premium SMS services, which can lead to surprises, or end up subscribing in spite of their will (for example, some apps may send and receive SMS messages without the customer realizing it)", he added. "it is important to understand that customers often subscribe to premium SMS services, which can lead to surprises, or become subscribers in spite of their will (for example, some apps may send and receive SMS messages without the customer being aware of it)".

In such a situation, says Orange, customers have the option of calling Orange Customer Service (5000) to block fraudulent numbers.

It is therefore necessary to "pay particular attention to the types of services a customer subscribes to on the Internet," says Orange. "sometimes, a simple click commits the customer without the customer really realising it".