Be Careful! Scammers are now masking as SMS Providers

I went into the SMS Business in December 2010, then there where few providers and as such, fewer incidences of Fraud, since then, the landscape has changed.

Before and since this Blog was started, I have received so many worrying emails from a lot of people which have led me to the conclusion that,

SCAM ARTISTS HAVE INVADED THE SMS BUSINESS!!

In every society, there are Hard-Working People, and there are also those who believe in making a living by defrauding honest People of their sweat. As someone who has grown from step to step on the tenets of Honesty and integrity, this is totally unacceptable and it is as a result of this I’m putting up this Post.

Through discussions I’ve had with people who have been victims of these fraudulent individuals, I have in this post, compiled a few of the warning signs you should look out for before committing your money into a Bank Account for someone to Setup A Bulk SMS Business for you.

Common Warning signs are as Follows:
1.) Too good to be true prices: Bulk SMS like any other Business has a lot of costs that must be settled for the Business to run effectively,
While at times not initially intending to scam, some newbies in the SMS Business give packages at extremely unbelievable, unsustainable prices. Running the Business over time, since costs are perpetually more than inflows, They discover that they do not have any money left to run the business and as such, it is only a matter of time before they disappear, often times with People’s Hard Earned Money.
There is also another class who offer Too Good to be true Prices and when the money is paid, they either stop picking calls, or they perform a disappearing act.
Like the age-old quote says, if it is too good to be true, it probably is.

2.) Frequently changed phone numbers: If a Business keeps changing its contact number without valid reasons, that is a clear sign to RUN AWAY!
The first strategy scam artists use in dodging their victims is avoiding phone calls. Be very careful if you notice this.

3.) Scam complaints in search engines: Before you purchase from any Website, do the following 3 Google Searches; Owner Name Scam, Business Name Scam, Phone Number Scam. If any results come out, go through them meticulously. If there is no resolution, kindly search for another provider.

4.) Very short time in operation: While this does not always indicate a fraudulent operation, at times, new websites claiming to have been in operation forever should have those claims taken with a pinch of salt. A lot of times, when scammers have been involved in fraudulent acts as indicated above with their reputations smeared all over the search engines, they simply register a new domain name, get Hosting, and continue with their nefarious activities.
While legitimate businesses would be honest and upfront about their years in operation, the scammers are likely to claim what they are not.
An easy way of detecting these scammers is by using the free service at www.whois.net to determine when these domain names where registered, contact details and other information to help in validating claims made by website owners.
Do you have any experience of Being Defrauded by Scam SMS Providers? Do you have any other ways which can be used in easily detecting these scammers?
Please drop your ideas in the comment box below.

Thanks.