The traditional text messages, or SMS, have lost presence in the face of instant messaging. However, even today they are used to share viruses and scams that some unsuspecting users end up activating. It happens that they charge me for an SMS that I have not sent and I have to make the claims and take additional security measures.
In this post you will find advice and tips to solve improper charges and to Avoid being charged for an SMS you haven't sent. The process may take a few minutes, as we need to go through the mobile settings to detect some modifications. Take note and follow these steps.
Contact my telephone company if they charge me for an SMS that I have not sent
In the event that you do not receive daily calls from a teleoperator, you will have to call yourself. Each telephone company has its own service number. Once you're served, report the problem. the best way to to make the claim is to have the ghost messages at hand, and indicate to which number they were sent. In this way, the operator can block the number and no longer have to send messages from your mobile.
Check the permissions of each app
In many cases, when you are charged for sending SMS messages that you have not consciously sent, it is because an app has special permits. A good way to avoid problems of this type is to check the app permissions and disable the sending of SMS to any strange app.
To access the permissions management we have to enter:
- Settings app.
- Select Applications menu – Permissions Manager.
- Check the SMS permission and select from the apps with the permission.
- Press the Deny button so that these apps can no longer access the SMS service.
Blocks the sending of SMS from Google for verification
When I am charged for an SMS that I have not sent, but the charge is very small, like 20 or 15 cents, I also check Google app permissions. It is known that many of us give permission to Google and its apps for all kinds of actions. In this case, very small charges can serve as a verification message from Google's own apps.
These types of messages are sent to confirm that the SIM card number is the same as the Google account. But this periodic check that Google performs can also be disabled. The steps to do it are:
- Open the mobile Settings app and select Google.
- Open the Mobile data and messages menu.
- Click on the Device phone number option and then on Control how other users….
- A popup window will appear with options. Choose the second “Use my number, but ask me first if charges apply”.
- Confirm the configuration change by pressing the Save button.
Now, every time Google requires to validate your identity, it will ask before sending the SMS. If you stop receiving charges for SMS you didn't send, this was the cause.
Mobile factory settings
As a last measure, in case we have been victims of a virus or malicious configuration, we can return the phone to its factory settings. This is the last option as it involves losing data on the phone and it can be a bit of a hassle to set everything up again. However, sometimes it is not possible to find the causes and we continue to pay for SMS that we did not send.
There are specialized apps for remove virus on android, but sometimes even with them it is not possible to solve the problems. Therefore, the root solution is to recover the phone's factory data and return to the initial state. In order to reset the mobile configuration we have to do the following:
- Open the Phone Settings app and look for the System and updates menu.
- Choose the Reset option.
- Confirm by pressing the Reset phone button.
- A list of the accounts open on the mobile will appear, when you go down to the bottom the Reset option will appear.
The process will take a few minutes, and when the phone turns back on it will be in its original state. You can combine this function with notifying the telephone company, so that they are aware of an improper charge.
Conclusions
It is very annoying when they charge me for SMS that I have not sent, but the key is to find the reason. Once the source of these messages is detected, we can act quickly so as not to lose money. Many times the messages arise from a permission to apps that send messages but we did not stop to read the conditions of use. In other cases, they are viruses or mobile number confirmation messages. In any case, there are alternatives to solve the problem and save money for text messages that we do not consciously send. It doesn't matter without a few cents, the important thing is to be in control of what our mobile does.