Help Warning: Check for Intl Text Message Charges

[betafan]

I saw a couple people with this issue in the 'Known Issues' Thread, but this needs to get out there.

Despite the fact that I have not left the country, nor have I exchanged any text messages with people overseas, I have been charged for 37 international text messages by sprint, to the tune of .20 each. I chatted with a CSR, who basically told me I could not dispute the charges until the bill had posted(it shows under current usage on my account). This is most likely due to the faulty GPS/location issues this phone is well-known to have. Please check your bill, harass sprint, and make sure you don't get hookwinked!! Please comment if you check and have been charged for intl text messages within the U.S.A

 

[dkjones96]

Out of 3,983 texts on my account I didn't have a single international text charge and they are all from the Moment, both aGPS and GPS are on, and I traveled to the Mexican border two weeks ago.

Got an app that is reporting overseas maybe?

 

[betafan]

Got an app that is reporting overseas maybe?

I don't think so. I don't have a ton of apps on my phone. The only location sensitive one I can think of would be weatherbug. I have reporting for google latitude on maps enabled, which has shown me anywhere from Iceland to Estonia. Regardless of what's causing it, it's obviously a Samsung/Sprint issue that they need to fix.

 

[gblinckmann]

Oh! So THAT's why I was getting them! The *^*&* GPS that has me in Africa and Eastern Europe is what's doing this. So when this GPS bug is fixed, the problem will go away. Well, at least it's not a long-term problem.

 

[LincKraker]

i think this goes off of the cell tower you use not the phones GPS.

 

[aclark414]

i think this goes off of the cell tower you use not the phones GPS.

I agree. This should have nothing to do with GPS. SMS goes through the cell network, not over GPS.

 

[betafan]

i think this goes off of the cell tower you use not the phones GPS.

That's a good point I considered after I wrote it. Weatherbug always accurately shows my position. In fact, I rarely enable GPS in the first place, precisely because it's so unreliable. I'm just irritated knowing in advance I'm going to have to spend time disputing this. Just trying to get the word out so people who don't closely examine their bill each month don't get erroneously charged.

 

[betafan]

I agree. This should have nothing to do with GPS. SMS goes through the cell network, not over GPS.

I know the sms is being transmitted through the cell network. Do you have any ideas why someone in the U.S exchanging text messages with other people in the U.S would be charged for intl text messages?

 

[SlyFerret]

Can you tell what number the international SMS messages were sent to? Or is that info not available until you get your bill?

-SF

 

[betafan]

Can you tell what number the international SMS messages were sent to? Or is that info not available until you get your bill?

-SF

No info on numbers since it's current usage. I know some might think I'm getting charged because a friend of mine didn't tell me they were in mexico for the weekend, but that is not the case. I use around 500 text messages per month, and only with people whom I know in the U.S.A

 

[SlyFerret]

I'm of the opinion that the GPS issues on the phone have nothing to do with the SMS stack. From my knowledge of SMS, the phone hands off the SMS to the carrier, and the carrier routes the SMS appropriately based on the number.

Actually, my concern is that some app is sending SMS messages behind your back. What is odd is that they're only standard rate international SMS messages.

One behavior that is common in mobile malware is sending premium SMS messages without the users knowledge. Sometimes just a few messages, sometimes many messages. Frequently, the recipients are in other countries, making it hard to follow the money and find (let alone prosecute) the culprits.

These premium SMS numbers are similar to the ones you see on TV where you can "vote" for something using an SMS short code (a number shorter than a regular phone number). Many times they will say that each vote costs $.99 or $1.99 or whatever amount has been established. The difference is, when you "vote", YOU are sending the premium SMS, not some trojan on your phone that got on there by posing as a game or some other app to trick you into installing it.

Don't get me wrong... I'm not ready to jump to the conclusion that this is some sort of malware sending SMS messages from your phone. I just think it's odd behavior that I'm not exactly willing to attribute to the GPS issues at this time.

I'm going to keep an eye on my usage and see if anything pops up there in the way of international SMS.

-SF

 

[betafan]

@SlyFerret

That raises an interesting possibility. All of my apps are pretty mainstream(Pandora, Handscent, etc) with the exception of a few games I let my little brother install. Have any titles been conclusively linked with sms sending malware?

 

[SlyFerret]

Not that I'm aware of. The ones that I know of are on other platforms.

-SF

 

[AdamR]

Not to mention there is no charge for texts to or from the US, regardless of where you are in the world.
I had to submit a case the other day for a problem like this. The guy didn't have a moment, though.
It sounds more like an issue with fraud, something going on in your CSA, or you're actually texting internationally. This is coming from a guy who sees stuff like this every day. ;-)

 

[vinscuzzy]

My daughter had a bunch of intl texts on her bill last month as well. She doesn't have a Samsung Moment, and her phone never reports being in the wrong place. I really don't think the texts have anything to do with gps, I think its some kind of spam thing.

 

[MrGadget256]

Sorry folks, gotta disagree. I had three show up only when Agps was enabled. Haven't been out of the country or had any messages I didn't know where they came from or what app was sending/receiving. Contacted customer service via email and they immediately refunded the charges and said they forwarded the problem to the people working on the upgrade. It is an Agps issue and Sprint knows about it and is working on it. Just keep your eye on your charges until they come out with the 2.1 upgrade in "some" quarter of 2010.

 

[SlyFerret]

I'm less about agreeing or disagreeing, and more about collecting information at this point.

Has anyone received their bill yet and checked which messages were deemed to be international SMS? Were they to numbers you recognize?

-SF

 

[AdamR]

Sorry folks, gotta disagree. I had three show up only when Agps was enabled. Haven't been out of the country or had any messages I didn't know where they came from or what app was sending/receiving. Contacted customer service via email and they immediately refunded the charges and said they forwarded the problem to the people working on the upgrade. It is an Agps issue and Sprint knows about it and is working on it. Just keep your eye on your charges until they come out with the 2.1 upgrade in "some" quarter of 2010.

Uh, no. It is billed only on the area you are texting to, based on the country code. I know this.

 

[MrGadget256]

I'm less about agreeing or disagreeing, and more about collecting information at this point.

Has anyone received their bill yet and checked which messages were deemed to be international SMS? Were they to numbers you recognize?

-SF

Just shows international text, no number on the Sprint website. And there are no messages in my phone I don't recognize and they are all from in the US. It's because the phone was reporting it was in a different country using the Agps when a normal text message came in, you can't tell which one unless you track yourself via Google and match up the times to the messages in your phone. (I don't know how and don't want to waste time figuring it out) If you want to, look at the posts that I referenced.
http://androidforums.com/samsung-mo...moment-first-half-next-year-2.html#post185149
and http://androidforums.com/samsung-mo...moment-first-half-next-year-2.html#post187573

 

[SlyFerret]

OK. I'm still holding out until somebody has a bill in hand with a mystery international SMS message to form my opinion. I really want to confirm, without a doubt, that the international SMS was to a known domestic number.

I've turned on aGPS on my phone to see if I can get it to do it to me, but I have yet to have the sprint site show any international SMS messages. I do get locations showing around the world though, so if it really is an aGPS issue, I stand a good chance of having it reproduced on my account.

-SF