Why didn't my bank block anything?

Because no bank payment takes place: the amount is billed by the carrier along with your plan. That's what makes this circuit effective — it bypasses the card, and so the alerts and dispute procedures that come with it.

Does replying STOP end the subscription?

For a legitimate recurring service, the stop keyword is indeed provided and works. For a fraudulent message, replying mainly confirms that the number is active and read. The reliable path goes through the carrier, not through a reply to the message.

Premium-rate subscriptions and SMS

In plain terms

The damage doesn't show up on your bank statement but on your carrier bill, under a line nobody reads. That's why it can go on for months.

Definition

A premium-rate subscription is a subscription to a carrier-billed service, often taken out unknowingly, triggered by an SMS, a call to a special number, or a confirmation on a mobile page.

How it works

This mechanism relies on a particular payment circuit: billing goes through the carrier, with no bank card or credential entry, which removes all the steps where people are normally wary. It's triggered in several ways: an SMS inviting a reply with a specific word, a competition where entering counts as subscribing, a button on a mobile page where the subscription is mentioned in fine print, or a callback requested to a special number. The amount is small and recurring, which makes it bearable and therefore durable: it gets lost in a bill people rarely look at closely, and discovery often comes months later.

Warning signs

Unusual "purchases", "premium SMS" or "third-party services" line on the carrier bill
Subscription confirmation SMS that you did not request
Invitation to reply with a specific word to get a result or a gift
A four- or five-digit number to call back to "collect a package" or "listen to a message"
A mobile page confirming a service whose price appears in fine print

How to verify

Read the detail of your carrier bill rather than its total: these charges appear under a line separate from your plan. Carriers also offer blocking of premium-rate services, activated on request, which settles the matter at the source.

What to do

Don't reply to SMS inviting you to send back a word, don't call back short numbers received out of context, and ask your carrier to block premium-rate services if you have no use for them. In France, a fraudulent SMS can be forwarded to 33700.

If it already happened

Request cancellation and a refund from your carrier, which has a procedure for these services, and have the block activated. Keep the itemized bill: it identifies the service and the subscription date, which is needed for the claim.

Frequently asked questions

Why didn't my bank block anything?: Because no bank payment takes place: the amount is billed by the carrier along with your plan. That's what makes this circuit effective — it bypasses the card, and so the alerts and dispute procedures that come with it.
Does replying STOP end the subscription?: For a legitimate recurring service, the stop keyword is indeed provided and works. For a fraudulent message, replying mainly confirms that the number is active and read. The reliable path goes through the carrier, not through a reply to the message.

Official sources

Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr — Assistance and reporting (French government cybersecurity assistance service)

This article is part of the Phones and connected devices family. Last updated: 2026-09-03.