Common Ringtone Scams

Who doesn't like ringtones. Today ringtones for mobile phones are almost as popular and common as other basic things in life. Some consumers try to get ringtones for their phones for free. Other consumers will outright buy them from anywhere. However, buyer beware. There are many ringtone and SMS scams out there that will get you every time. Consumers need to be careful that they are not getting tricked into a scam. Most of the scams involve money. Ringtone scams are a reason why a lot of people like to try to get free ringtones. Therefore, it is important to pay attention when either getting free ringtones or paying for ringtones.

The Website Scam

Some websites will advertise and entice the consumer with the latest and greatest ringtone or that they have a new ringtone before any other place does. When the ringtone is downloaded so is a virus. The virus in turn will phish to get personal information that can be dangerous to the customer financially.

The Vulnerable Teen

Sometimes a vulnerable teenager will be encouraged to send a text to a free ringtone website to get the most popular new ringtone absolutely free. There is usually some sort of hidden twist to getting the ringtone.

The Sneaky Hidden Fee

Sometimes companies will trick a person into paying for a service.
Some websites will entice you to text to their number to get a free ringtone for the phone. The trouble with that is there are hidden damages. When your number texts into their automatic number there might be hidden charges along with the ringtone.

The Auto Service Contract Scam

Another form of scam is a missed phone call or a strange text message from an unfamiliar number. When the customer calls or text messages the number back, they will automatically pay money because they have been tricked into buying a service contract.

Hidden Terms and Conditions

Another huge scam is when surfing the internet a bright ad will pop up letting the consumer know to go to their advertised website to download a number of ringtones for absolutely free. The trouble with that is as soon as you register to gain the ringtones, the mobile phone account will be charged a monthly service charge. Some of the fees are as low as $10.00 per month and others as hi as $20.00 per month.

The danger with most of these scams is that many of them do not tell the customer how to stop paying the fees. Most generally they do not display any terms or conditions. That is most commonly how the customer is being deceived. It is important to pay close attention before downloading or texting for any ringtones.