MILLIONS of unsuspecting cellphone users are being systematically charged by telecom operators for gaming services they never subscribed to, never used, and, in many cases, never even heard of. The scam involves charges for cellphone video games that are deducted from users’ prepaid mobile balances without any prior consent or notification.

Users are being billed daily or weekly, often at rates of up to Rs12 per day, under the guise of gaming subscriptions. They receive an SMS stating that they have successfully subscribed to a game and the charges have been deducted. In reality, most of them have never interacted with these platforms, making this a textbook case of unauthorised billing.

Besides, various other auto-activated offers also keep eating up the phone balance. This exploitation, which occurs across various mobile networks, strongly indicates complicity at the level of telecom operators. It is practically impossible for third-party vendors to charge users directly without the active technical integration and approval of telecom companies. This is not merely a matter of misleading advertisements or accidental subscriptions, but rather a deliberate, coordinated scam.

Mobile companies are earning revenue cuts from unsolicited services. Despite mounting evidence and growing consumer complaints, the Pakistan Telecommuni-cation Authority (PTA) has yet to take action, and its silence raises concerns about regulatory oversight, industry accountability, and consumer protection.

Pirzada Faizan
Karachi

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2025