Premium SMS Subscription Text Scam
This scam signs you up to a premium-rate SMS service, often after a quiz, competition, or app, then charges you for each message received, with vague opt-out instructions that are hard to act on.
By the Scam or Safe Editorial TeamResearched & reviewed for accuracyQuick verdict
Understanding this scam
This scam signs you up to a premium-rate SMS service, often after a quiz, competition, or app, then charges you for each message received, with vague opt-out instructions that are hard to act on.
Text-message scams, known as "smishing", reach you directly on your phone where a link is only a tap away and messages feel personal and urgent. They impersonate trusted senders, banks, couriers, government, or even people you know, and depend on you acting before you pause to verify.
If you take one thing from this guide, make it this: Recurring premium-rate texts and charges for a service you do not remember joining. Reply STOP only to confirmed premium services, and ask your carrier to block premium SMS.
If your message looks slightly different, check the Customer Survey Scam or the Loyalty Points Scam, both are close cousins of this pattern. Every related guide lives in the Text Message Scams guides, and the scam checker can scan the text you received.
A typical example
This is a fictional, anonymised example used to illustrate the pattern. It is not a verified real message, and any names are used only to show how the scam typically reads.
The tell here: Recurring premium-rate texts and charges for a service you do not remember joining.
What the data shows
Warning signs
- Charges for texts you did not knowingly sign up to
- Vague service names and unclear opt-out steps
- Sign-ups hidden in quizzes, competitions, or free apps
- Premium-rate short codes you do not recognise
- Continued charges after attempts to stop them
Your safest response
- Ask your carrier to block premium-rate SMS services
- Check your bill for unfamiliar premium charges
- Reply STOP to legitimately identified services and keep a record
- Report persistent charges to your carrier and regulator
If you have already engaged
- Contact your carrier to stop the subscription and request a refund
- Review which app or site you used before charges began
- Remove any app that may have signed you up
- Keep records of charges and opt-out attempts
What to avoid
- Do not reply to unknown premium texts beyond a clear STOP
- Do not ignore small recurring charges
- Do not enter your number into untrusted quizzes or apps
You might also see
Customer Survey Scam
This scam invites you to complete a short customer satisfaction survey for a reward from a known brand, then asks for card details to cover 'shipping' on the prize or harvests your personal data.
Created by Scam or Safe Editorial Team
Loyalty Points Scam
This scam claims your loyalty points, reward balance, or air miles are about to expire and pushes you to redeem them through a link, which leads to a phishing page built to steal your account login or card details.
Created by Scam or Safe Editorial Team
Subscription Cancellation Text Scam
This scam texts that a subscription or trial will auto-charge a large amount unless you cancel now, linking to a fake page that harvests your login and card details under the pressure to stop the charge.
Created by Scam or Safe Editorial Team
Questions people ask
How did I get subscribed?
Will replying STOP work?
Can I get a refund?
How do I prevent this?
Last reviewed June 2026 · Written & reviewed by the Scam or Safe Editorial Team