Buongiorno / B!Games scam

[Dicky99]

Still being charged 99p per week (0.82+VAT) without signing up for anything, one of the many victims of the EE Buongiorno / B!Games scam

[brendonx]

EE doesn't own this company.

[eeleo]

Give them a call

Call us on 0207 649 9636 (local call charge rate) or 0800 012 6182 (free from landlines, some network charges may apply from mobile devices

http://webappsupport.co.uk/web/uk_itouch_web/contact-us

[DEFENDER]

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@brendonx wrote:
EE doesn't own this company.

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True - Buongiorno are a third party and EE just hand over their own customers' money to them with no legitimate evidence of what's been clicked on. Which makes this even worse...

[brendonx]

No doesn't make it worse, EE doens't know you haven't request this.

When you buy pay for something on your debit/credit card does you bank ring you first? If so then this would make things a nightmare to pay for.

[DEFENDER]

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@eeleo wrote:

Give them a call

Call us on 0207 649 9636 (local call charge rate) or 0800 012 6182 (free from landlines, some network charges may apply from mobile devices

http://webappsupport.co.uk/web/uk_itouch_web/contact-us

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Yeh, good luck with that one - despite several attempts, they've failed to provide any evidence at all of what I'm supposed to have clicked on. Apparently, they don't need to provide any evidence to EE, either, they seem to simply just ask for the money...

It's the kind of 'business' I wish I'd thought of, if I were a cyber criminal.

I'm sure EE will issue a refund though, they know it's a can of worms and they're trying to keep a lid on it

[DEFENDER]

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@brendonx wrote:
No doesn't make it worse, EE doens't know you haven't request this.

When you buy pay for something on your debit/credit card does you bank ring you first? If so then this would make things a nightmare to pay for.

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Good analogy. However, with a credit card, the customer still has to knowingly authorise the payment for it to be legitimate. What Buongiorno are up to, in effect, is doing it without the card owner's knowledge.

This is obviously seriously wrong and EE are doing nothing to prevent it, even though they know about it.

No bank would want to be associated with a scam like this, let alone profit from it, but EE seem happy to just stand back and let it happen to their own customers.

[brendonx]

But some people would use this service so how does EE know that you didn't want to?

[DEFENDER]

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@brendonx wrote:
But some people would use this service so how does EE know that you didn't want to?

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Theoretically, EE would know (...and DO know) because I, and 100s of other people, have already told them that Buongiorno are operating a scam. But EE still continue to hand over their customers' money without questioning the legitimacy of the Buongiorno request. Even Buongiorno can't provide any evidence that it's legit - which should be evidence enough for EE to pull the plug on them.

Yep, acknowledged, for some reason I've never understood, some people do want third rate games and to be texted 'news' about a celebrity they could get for free elsewhere, but Buongiorno are obviously using this as some sort of universal approval to force even more people to take the same service whether they want it or not

[brendonx]

You may call it a scam other may actually USE the service.

There is a difference

[DEFENDER]

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@brendonx wrote:
You may call it a scam other may actually USE the service.

There is a difference

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At last! Yes, there IS a difference!

When somebody knowingly purchases something from Buongiorno, it is a 'Sale' and they are a 'Customer'.

When somebody has money taken from their account by Buongiorno, by deceptive means and without their consent, it is 'Fraud' and they are a 'Victim'.

I know you like a good analogy, so how about the Glasgow Ice Cream Wars. An ice cream man whose main business is selling stolen property from his van is not just an ice cream man, yes? The ice cream is obviously just a front.

...although, presumably, you would take the view, "Well, people like ice cream so they should be allowed to carry on".

[brendonx]

I never said that it wasn't fraud at all. Please prove me wrong if I said it.

I said they can't do what you suggest by blocking payment as EE won't k ow if you intentionally signed up or not.

[DEFENDER]

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@brendonx wrote:
I never said that it wasn't fraud at all. Please prove me wrong if I said it.

I said they can't do what you suggest by blocking payment as EE won't k ow if you intentionally signed up or not.

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I'm not exactly sure I said that you said it wasn't fraud...

Anyway, EE can block the payment, same as they could with any other scam, they just need to see who the cash request is coming from (they can easily identify them), realise that this is an organisation known worldwide for its fraudulent practices and simply not hand over money until Buongiorno can demonstrate that it's a fully legitimate request or that Buongiorno can prove they are behaving ethically...even the regulators say that EE should be policing its own on-portal services.

By ignoring all this, when they really do have the power to do something about it , EE are complicit in a fraud, which was my original point.

[brendonx]

Yes EE can block the payments and will do if the account holder requests them to do so.

[DEFENDER]

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@brendonx wrote:
Yes EE can block the payments and will do if the account holder requests them to do so.

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Totally!!! You are so right. EE will let the crime continue until the account holder requests them to stop.

I.e. Burgling the house is OK until the householder tells them to stop.

So glad I don't live in your town

[brendonx]

What planet are you from?

PEOPLE use this service. So EE won't block a company that PEOPLE use!!

If you want to block it then they will block it.

Your analogy doesn't work.

[DEFENDER]

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@brendonx wrote:
What planet are you from?

PEOPLE use this service. So EE won't block a company that PEOPLE use!!

If you want to block it then they will block it.

Your analogy doesn't work.

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Oh, I thought you got it for a moment - what's so hard to understand? The problem is that you only know you don't want Buongiorno 'services' after they've stolen your money. If it was a legit business model, they'd actually ask you first - not just help themselves and then tell you to rectify it later.

I know, I'll come and tarmac your driveway without your knowledge, take the money for my 'service' from your account without your consent and then tell you it's 'absolutley fine' because some people want their driveway wrecked?

What planet are you on? Planet 'EE FanBoi' I reckon, you EE Fanboi you.

[brendonx]

Another analogy that doesn't work.

You just don't get it so bye

[coxstev29]

I have also been scammed by Buongiorno / B!Games. Spoke to EE and thet are not interested. have been charged £1.25 a week since August. EE is fully aware of this company and the BBC also reported that Buongiorno were charging people back in 2012 and its still happening. Why would EE allow this?

Maybe it could be due to them owning Buongiorno?

Buongiorno and EE (t-mobile) are owned by the same parent company, including most of the other large phone companies around the world!!!!!!! They know exactly what they are doing and are practically robbing from their customers and deny any knowledge and use different laws to clear themselves.

Buongiorno was sold this year to deutsch Telekom under ntt docomo German umbrella. n August 2012, after the settlement of the public tender offer, Buongiorno became part of DOCOMO Deutschland GmbH, wholly-owned subsidiary of NTT DOCOMO, a global leader in mobile telecommunications technologies and services.

 On April 1, 2010, after the T-Home and T-Mobile German operations merged to form Telekom Deutschland GmbH, a wholly owned DT subsidiary; the T-Mobile brand was discontinued in Germany and replaced with the Telekom brand.

[Northerner]

Hi, 

You just need to call EE and ask them to remove the premium number feature. 

Also on Android you can disable the installation of apps from other sources which will help. This company supplies its apps via QR codes normally in pubs, clubs, out and about and you have to download their crap via the net. A good example is this http://www.muchgossip.co.uk/web  and you normally need to tick a box to agree to the payment. 

General rule of thumb is: 

• Always download apps from registered apps stores (Play,Apple, Amazon) 
• Never install apps from unknown sources
• Never install apps downloaded from torrents 
• Only scan QR codes from companies you know and trust. 

Lastly never click on stupid links on web pages and if you are unsure close the browser and kill it under the open recent apps. 

Hope this helps.