topic Boku in Archived Posts

Boku

MS04 — Sat, 19 Jan 2019 14:45:02 GMT

So I am FURIOUS. I have been fraudulently charged nearly £400 by EE OVER MY BILLby EE for 3rd party services I have NEVER requested or received by BOKU. This is DISGUSTING as after over an hour on the phone to EE customer services, there’s nothing they are prepared to do to help me. Contacted Boku and they’ve been less than helpful.

EE happily pay 3rd parties and bill me for something I knew NOTHING about. My contract with EE. This is not how to treat customers. Surely EE SHOULD CONTACT CUSTOMERS before they pay 3rd parties. Anyone know how I can get my money back?

Already put stop on all phones now for 3rd party sellers.

EE must be getting some financial incentive to allow this to happen.

Re: Boku

XRaySpeX — Sat, 19 Jan 2019 14:49:17 GMT

What no. is the charge/text from?

These will be reversed-charged texts from Premium Rate nos. you may have inadvertently subscribed to via Web or TV. EE are not obliged to refund you but you may complain to the Premium rate regulator Phone-paid Services Authority or the firm itself. You can check out those nos. yourself on that site.

You could try texting STOP to the number, but it may cost and may not work.

You should also text BAR to 150 to block Premium Rate numbers so this doesn't happen in future.

Re: Boku

MS04 — Sat, 19 Jan 2019 15:06:33 GMT

All I have is that it’s from a code which connects to Sony B PlayStation.... but we pay all PS4 add ons via credit card.

The Boku charges specifically say they sent text messages with a verification code to be entered .. then they bill... but I HAVE NEVER received any texts or used verification codes.

Re: Boku

James_B — Sat, 19 Jan 2019 15:43:23 GMT

Hi @MS04,

Welcome to the EE Community.

Are you the user of the phone number that has been charged or is it used by someone else?

Thanks

James

Re: Boku

MS04 — Sat, 19 Jan 2019 15:59:12 GMT

The charges are on both my boys’ phones. This has happened when both got new phones and one downloaded PS4 app. The one game they bought has been charged to credit card as usual. They do not use their phones for buying anything at all.. if they want anything we buy on our credit cards and happy to pay.

i feel aggrieved that we are charged for services NOT consented to receiving or using and no verification codes received or used.

Re: Boku

Northerner — Sat, 19 Jan 2019 16:38:09 GMT

@MS04

You will be charged Boku via the PS network/app. The PS app also contains ads which will link to Boku, so it's easy for your son's to accidentally be fooled into thinking these are part of the PS network.

You can lock out payments on the apps store, and via your online account (Menu- manage your device) but ultimately the bill payer is responsible for any charges incurred. You should have maybe considered PAYG sims.

Thanks

Re: Boku

MS04 — Sat, 19 Jan 2019 17:44:49 GMT

All my son did was download the app.

in the email they sent me they specifically say they send verification codes and we have never received this. In the space of under one minute they charge £30 twice ... and they repeat the pattern.

Its simply not true that we have receany verification codes.

My sons are quite computer savvy and that’s why we are all shocked.

The strange thing is this has happened on both phones when phones upgraded in last Oct and Nov.

HOWEVER, ultimately EE charging without my knowledge.

From 2nd Jan yo yesterday another £188 has accrued- which we cannot understand as he’s not been on PS4 as was doing his Gcse maths final exams.

I wouldn’t have an issue if he was actually playing.

EE not being helpful but happily paying 3rd party and taking out of my dd. They won’t even verify if messages were sent by a Boku - as we haven’t received them

Re: Boku

BrendonH — Sat, 19 Jan 2019 18:05:51 GMT

@MS04 wrote:
All my son did was download the app.
in the email they sent me they specifically say they send verification codes and we have never received this. In the space of under one minute they charge £30 twice ... and they repeat the pattern.
Its simply not true that we have receany verification codes.
My sons are quite computer savvy and that’s why we are all shocked.
The strange thing is this has happened on both phones when phones upgraded in last Oct and Nov.
HOWEVER, ultimately EE charging without my knowledge.
From 2nd Jan yo yesterday another £188 has accrued- which we cannot understand as he’s not been on PS4 as was doing his Gcse maths final exams.
I wouldn’t have an issue if he was actually playing.
EE not being helpful but happily paying 3rd party and taking out of my dd. They won’t even verify if messages were sent by a Boku - as we haven’t received them

They may be computer savvy but this can happen to any computer savvy person if they accidently click on the boku ad in the PS4 app.

You need to direct your plight to Boku and PS4, PS4 shouldn't be letting this happen with just a click of a button/ad.

Once you click on that ad you agree to the terms and payments.

EE will just authorise payment because they will assume you agreed to this. If EE has to contact you everytime a chargable action happens on your phone you'll forever get phone calls from EE and this would be a nuisance.

It is down to the bill payer to check bills and to keep eye on current usage.

Re: Boku

MS04 — Sat, 19 Jan 2019 18:13:58 GMT

Thanks Brendon.

i shall Pursue this with Boku ( so long as they don’t put down phone on me like they did yesterday..)

And i shall definitely be contacting Ofcom about this as I’m sure I’m not the only unaware person this this has/will happen to.

Re: Boku

MS04 — Wed, 06 Feb 2019 21:09:33 GMT

Hi All

Thankbyou to everyone for their advice.

I am HAPPY to report BOKU have agreed to fully refund me.

This was after I had to do all investigations on their behalf.

Contacted Sony PlayStation who confirmed that NO MONEY was credited to my sons account with the phone number that had been charged.

Then had to report to The Police And Actionfraud who gave crime ref number.

Finally Boku agreed that we should be refunded fully as this was fraud.

so anyone in this position- please check your bills and flag up immediately.

thanks EE community

Re: Boku

XRaySpeX — Wed, 06 Feb 2019 21:14:01 GMT

Thanks! You're welcome :)! Glad I could be of assistance & it is now sorted.

Re: Boku

RichPH — Sun, 01 Dec 2019 19:16:09 GMT

I've just been hit with a huge bill with the same reference. My daughter's phone and we don't even have a Playstation. She received text messages and replied STOP then when I checked the bill there are 10 charges on the same day within 3 hours of each other - all adding up to over £240.

I'm just trying to find out how you contacted Boku. They only seem to have a serviced office in London with no phone number. Sony Playstation will be my first port of call.

As for EE, whilst I can appreciate they can't contact everyone when a charge back like this happens. Although, their systems are automated enough to actually send some text to say something has been set up on your account. However, I do feel that within the website where you have the options to allow or block premium numbers et al there's actually no option for blocking these types of transactions and that's not on.

Re: Boku

Katie_B — Mon, 02 Dec 2019 08:04:36 GMT

Good Morning @RichPH.

Welcome to the EE Community.

Do these charges show a short code on your bill?

Katie 🙂

Re: Boku

mpimenta — Fri, 20 Dec 2019 11:36:24 GMT

Same happened to me last night they charged me 250 and when called ee he said it was my daughter's fault and I started to blame her only to find out she hasnt done nothing Im so furious now have to try and get my money back feel like leaving ee after 15 years so stressful especially just before Christmas

Re: Boku

Katie_B — Fri, 20 Dec 2019 12:01:13 GMT

Good Afternoon @mpimenta.

Welcome to the EE Community.

I am sorry to hear this has happened so close to Christmas.

Did our customer care team provide you with the company information?

Katie 🙂

Re: Boku

RichPH — Tue, 24 Dec 2019 08:13:43 GMT

EE won't accept any responsibility for this whatsoever - bear that in mind; so you'll get nowhere attempting to get reimbursed from them.

I'm assuming your daughter responded to a text that was sent out, possibly to win a Playstation.

What you need to do is immediately phone Boku 0808 1202341. Tell them that your daughter (who is a minor (I'm assuming she's under 18)) was charged and that it was through an unsolicited text they sent out and had no authority from you. They'll say that they only charge if people reply Yes to the text but it's rubbish as they'll charge no matter what you reply - just the reply triggers it. They should then tell you that you need to provide a copy of your daughter's date of birth to prove she's a minor, so just take a photo of her birth cert or something official like that. They should also raise a ticket and send you an email with a link to the Boku support site where you'll set up an account (seems you have to do this for a ticket reference). I've included a copy of the email you should receive from them at which point you send a reply with your daughter's age confirmation. They will also tell you that it will have to be escalated for a manager to check if you're entitled to a refund. You should hear back in a couple of days or less with information about a refund.

Assuming that all goes OK, they will tell you that they will refund into your mobile account. Now you'll need to decide whether you want to pay EE that extra 250 and then wait and hope that when the refund is made EE will credit you back (don't hold your breath) or as I was advised by EE staff: cancel the direct debit, just pay my normal charge and then let the refund credit back into my account. Then reset up the direct debit again. It's a real pain in the ass, but I couldn't afford to wait for the possibility of being refunded by EE.

The other thing with Boku is that they will not immediately refund your money. It's some process and will take several weeks. It was 2 December when I called them and it's only just been refunded (Boku state that it could be up to 2 months); so you'll get phone calls from EE chasing you. Tell them the situation and that it is being refunded and ask them to extend the time before they chase it.

Other things:

1. Tell Boku to block the mobile number

2. Tell EE to block all mobile chargeback services to all numbers on your account. It's this bit that angers me about EE as they provide access to block roaming, premium numbers, data and such through the app or website but no mention anywhere of this method of charging. I didn't even know it was a thing, I'd never heard of it. And, even having a call limit amount makes no difference - you'll still get hit.

3. Instil it in your daughter NEVER to reply to anything. It is reprehensible what these companies do to directly target kids and how mobile providers allow it through their network.

4. The guy at Boku whom I spoke to was called Lars.

I hope that's been some help, heer's a copy of that email they sent:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello,

Thank you for contacting us.

Our records indicate that the provided mobile number was used to purchase Wallet Funds from Sony Network Entertainment Europe Ltd.

We are a mobile billing service that allows customers to make purchases using their mobile phone. To make a purchase using our service, a customer has to select to buy an item from a game or website, and then choose our payment service as the method of payment. After entering their mobile number on our payment panel, a free text message confirming both the product and cost is sent to the handset. The customer must authorise the transaction by either replying with a keyword, or entering a PIN number before they can be billed.

We have blocked the provided mobile number from use with our service. We also recommend that you block premium and direct carrier billing services through your carrier to prevent charges from being processed by another pay by mobile service.
To proceed with a refund request, we require you to provide the following:

A copy of an official document or card confirming your child is a minor (Examples of acceptable forms are ID cards, school IDs, health/insurance cards, passports and birth certificates).

You can request a refund for transactions made in the 45 days prior to submitting your dispute. You must return all required documentation within 2 weeks of placing your dispute.

Please note that refunds are subject to approval and are not guaranteed; in addition, please keep in mind that if a refund is approved, the console and/or SEN account linked to the payments may be disabled by Sony.

Best regards,
Boku Customer Support

Re: Boku

Amal81 — Wed, 01 Jul 2020 22:31:39 GMT

Boku charged me £140 and I never purchased anything from

them also I never received any conformation text. I don’t know what to do can anyone help me

Re: Boku

MS04 — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 06:16:46 GMT

Hi

I too had this issue and know how stressful it can be.
You need to initially contact Sony and tell them that your account has been hacked- they will investigate and block Boku if they see that the credits are not actually from your Sony account. Next contact EE and explain what happened...get everything in writing, send it all to Boku, and after many weeks/ months they should refund EE who will credit your account.

Good luck

MS04

Re: Boku

Christopher_G — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 07:00:48 GMT

Hi @Amal81

Welcome to the community.

I'd also recommend speaking to Boku to find out what these charges are for.

Was there a short code on your bill, next to the charges?

Chris

Re: Boku

ionica1984 — Fri, 31 Jul 2020 14:41:11 GMT

Hello,can you help me please,i want make a payment via boku but it dosen t Word.I spoked with Ee customers service and they dont know about boku payments.