Premium rate adverts - 0911 614 6145

Hey folks,

Found a similar one to the wefindanyhome....

I have been looking in various places for a private rented house for my family and me.This has included Gumtree.

I have noticed however, certain adds that really concern me. I have reported several to Gumtree who have done nothing to address these.


The adds state the following....


3 and 4 bed houses, similar to the one shown, available to rent for Housing Benefit Tenants.

Housing Support Agency has properties available from our affiliates in;
SWANSEA

Rents are at local LHA rates. One month’s rent in advance is required together with a deposit. We can advise you on deposits how to acquire the advance rent.

Housing Support Agency is an information service that helps people on housing benefit to move into private rented homes....

Our database, which includes; properties from housing companies, DSS friendly agents and private landlords will carry out a comprehensive search to bring solutions for your accommodation requirements.

If we can’t find you suitable accommodation from our first search our system will prioritise your application until we do. We handle everything – from working out your housing benefit (LHA rate), to advising you on deposits and rent in advance.

To register your application call; 0911 614 6145

LINES OPEN MON-FRI 9am-9pm
LINES OPEN SAT-SUN 9am-6pm

(calls may be recorded for training and quality of service purposes, all calls cost £1.53 per minute plus network extras. Customer care number 08456809764)



Calling this I would expect would cost a minimum of £15 for a few minutes but probably very much more.

They posted 3 pages of ads today (23/11/2011), for properties around the country..... http://www.gumtree.com/search?q=0911+61 ... _scope=all


I thought I would post it here and hopefully this may warn folk or maybe someone will have an idea on what to do next. I will also contact Shelter Cymru and the property ombudsman for further advice http://www.tpos.co.uk/


Waeffe

[AlanJones]

Hi,

As I mentioned in the other post for wefindanyhome this may not be a scam as we at ScamWarners would define it, just a legitimate business making money out of vunerable people via a premium rate number.

The proof is in whether or not they can actually find you a house.

As with the other one that you posted I wil do some digging .

One thing that I will say is that in order to get an 09 premium rate number, the business needs to be registered with Phonepay Plus (formerly known as ICSTIS) before they can apply for a number. This is likely to deter most scammers as it involves a registration payment and I am sure that Phonepay Plus would make some effort to validate the information.

I have looked on the PhonePay Plus site and found out that it actually gives you information about the owner of the phoneline the results for the number that you posted are -

London & Southern Housing Ltd

1/13 Pelham Crescent
Hastings
East Sussex
TN34 3AF

Note that they give a non-premium rate contact number, so any one wanting to contact them with out ringing the premium rate number should go to http://www.payphoneplus.org.uk and use the number checker (looks like you need to put the number in without any spaces) and this will reveal the non-premium rate number

Nice work Alan,

The name London and Southern also show here http://www.companiesintheuk.co.uk/ltd/l ... rn-housing But with a different address...
23 HAVELOCK ROAD
HASTINGS
EAST SUSSEX
TN34 1BP

Does not show up on Companies House.

Also found info from google searches for London & Southern Housing Ltd , with an 01424 code (same address you had).

I feel that this is them too, albeit a different number again.... http://londonandsouthern.org/page004.html

Doesn't show up on SAYNOTO0870.COM

[AlanJones]

The 01424 code ties in with the geographical number that is on Payphone Plus.

And they are on the Companies House website if you search using the registration number that was on the site you used (06914398). The details match those that you found.

Hi,

As I mentioned in the other post for wefindanyhome this may not be a scam as we at ScamWarners would define it, just a legitimate business making money out of vunerable people via a premium rate number.

So any one who sets up a company with the intent of scaming people is seen as legitimate?

The proof is in whether or not they can actually find you a house.

So let me get this right, a company who sets up their business in a week boasts of having properties that accept DSS in over 40 regions in the UK and you dont think this a scam?

They set up 2 bogus sites
www.wefindanyhome.com


http://www.housing-help.co.uk


which they have no taken down as they know they have been rumbled, they have changed names twice and now calls itself housing support agency and yet you continue to defend them just because in your eyes they registered a company

One thing that I will say is that in order to get an 09 premium rate number, the business needs to be registered with Phonepay Plus (formerly known as ICSTIS) before they can apply for a number. This is likely to deter most scammers as it involves a registration payment and I am sure that Phonepay Plus would make some effort to validate the information.

You just contradicted yourself MOST but not ALL. You are cluessless about phonepay and their so called efforts to validate information and even if validated does it stop it from being a scam? Wow! Seriously you are gullible for someone who spends a lot of time here

I have looked on the PhonePay Plus site and found out that it actually gives you information about the owner of the phoneline the results for the number that you posted are -

London & Southern Housing Ltd

1/13 Pelham Crescent
Hastings
East Sussex
TN34 3AF

Note that they give a non-premium rate contact number, so any one wanting to contact them with out ringing the premium rate number should go to http://www.payphoneplus.org.uk and use the number checker (looks like you need to put the number in without any spaces) and this will reveal the non-premium rate number

So what are they called now? London & Southern Housing Ltd or Housing Support Agy? You tell me since you seem to have all the answers.

And funny enough you expect people to have the knowledge on how to go about finding all this information about payphoneplus because they are used to such things? Shocking arrogance here! This site is a complete joke./ Stick to your 419 baiting thats the only thrills you guys most have. Defending home grown scammers is not much fun I guess!

OP - Waeffe thanks for the post keep doing the good work!!
0911 614 6145 is a scam number

^^^

...just a legitimate business making money out of vunerable people via a premium rate number.

Unfortunate but not illegal.