August 01, 2009: An intriguing, but also alarming report comes from the remote village of Rathupaswala in Gampaha where a confidence trickster had had a field day at the expense of the unsuspecting villagers.
Even a school boy had fallen prey to the tricks of the master operator, ending up with a telephone bill amounting to Rs. 1.8million.
Intriguing, because the student does not even have a telephone.
According to villagers, several months ago, a SIM card dealer attached to a reputed telephone service provider had arrived in the area and had distributed SIM cards after obtaining details of identity cards and utility bills.
“They brought a photo copy machine and handed over SIM cards after taking copies of our IDs and utility bills. They also got us to sign a document. As it was a known company, we did not hesitate to sign,” said one villager.
The student who faced the same dilemma said that after several days he had received a bill of a CDMA phone.
“It was addressed to me so I took it. I was shocked to see that the amount was Rs. 200,000. A month later I got another to the tune of Rs. 1.8 million. I'm still going to school and I do not have such a phone. All the outgoing calls were IDD calls,” he said.
When the residents made inquiries from the area billing office in Gampaha, they had seen that accounts had been opened in their names.
Meanwhile, Priyantha Kariyapperuma, Director General of the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission said that those who had suffered injustice in any form through the telecommunications system in the country should lodge a complaint with the Commission.
“Inquiries will be launched into the incident once the complaints have been lodged,” he added.
http://www.newsfirst.lk/index.php?o...lion-phone-bill&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=18
Even a school boy had fallen prey to the tricks of the master operator, ending up with a telephone bill amounting to Rs. 1.8million.
Intriguing, because the student does not even have a telephone.
According to villagers, several months ago, a SIM card dealer attached to a reputed telephone service provider had arrived in the area and had distributed SIM cards after obtaining details of identity cards and utility bills.
“They brought a photo copy machine and handed over SIM cards after taking copies of our IDs and utility bills. They also got us to sign a document. As it was a known company, we did not hesitate to sign,” said one villager.
The student who faced the same dilemma said that after several days he had received a bill of a CDMA phone.
“It was addressed to me so I took it. I was shocked to see that the amount was Rs. 200,000. A month later I got another to the tune of Rs. 1.8 million. I'm still going to school and I do not have such a phone. All the outgoing calls were IDD calls,” he said.
When the residents made inquiries from the area billing office in Gampaha, they had seen that accounts had been opened in their names.
Meanwhile, Priyantha Kariyapperuma, Director General of the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission said that those who had suffered injustice in any form through the telecommunications system in the country should lodge a complaint with the Commission.
“Inquiries will be launched into the incident once the complaints have been lodged,” he added.
http://www.newsfirst.lk/index.php?o...lion-phone-bill&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=18
