Possible SPAM SMS?

[serfty]

Today I received an SMS from "IHG" (Sic¹):

<FreeMsg>PriorityClubRewards: Win up to 12 Free Nights. Send MB2 [email addr] by 4Aug to 199[redacted] to register. Stop? SMS STOP to 199[redacted]. IHG Help? 1800[redacted]

Plugging the SMS phone number into 19 Service Finder returns the following:

19 Service Finder - Results Premium Number: 199[redacted] Service Provider: I-Pop Networks Campaign name: I-Pop Networks Campaign type: Other Campaign start Date: 21/09/2009 Campaign end Date: 31/12/2050 Campaign Description: purchase mobile games (one-off) You pay for sending a TXT message to this service: $0.25 You pay for receiving a TXT message from this service(*): $6.60 Note 1 (*)some TXT messages sent to users may be exempt from charging. Please pay attention to details in the message Cust Care Phone No: 1800 [redacted]

Of course I am not going to reply.

¹ That's who it's showing as "from", normally I get a 'phone number or, if the number is in my phonebook, the name of an entry in which the number appears.

 

[medhead]

Should you report this to the telecommunications authority. There seems to be a disconnect between IHG and the information related to the phone number. Possible fraud?

 

[awilcockson]

This is why I am so glad that Virgin finally introduced an option to block premium rate SMS. I spent months getting them to refund over $100 in charges from one of these mobs that kept sending $5 a pop messages even after we sent them the stop message (and having never requested their services in the first place).