Complaint Review: Predictopredictomobile Parent Co Nextweb Media Plus 9 Others

Dear readers, check carefully your cell phone bills if you do not want to be caught in one one of NextWeb Media multiple ongoing Nationwide scams.

Ask to check old people cell bills, and your kids cell bills: they are the main targets to NextWeb Media.

Here are some examples among hundreds of thousands NextWeb Media victims:

My 70 year old mother who knows nothing about text messaging showed me her phone the other day. On it was a bunch of messages from 654654. So we reviewed her bill and found that she had been paying $9.99 a month for Predicto service. Upon calling Verizon, they told us how to cancel the service and they promptly credited the amount. They also put a block on premium content.

See details at (((Redacted)))

Just checking our family T-Mobile billing details, noticed a $9.99 charge on daughter's phone for a service called Predictomobile. When we called T-Mobile, we were told to text a message to the original six-digit number saying "stop." She did this and got a return message saying she was unsubscribed. However, she claims she does not remember subscribing in the first place. I also received a call asking me to answer a survey question, and being an adult, I promptly told them we were on the national do not call list and hung up. This is a scam because they do not clearly tell kids they are selling some service, and this could happen to millions of kids before anybody can stop it. Keep an eye on your cell phone bill.

See details about minors been scammed by NetxWeb Media services at (((Redacted)))

In June 2006, 200,000 subscribers were enrolled in Florida base on $1000 Worth Online Coupons!... displayed on EDNs webpage. The delay for cancellation to the subscription was 30 days (30 days risk free), it was 3 days in reality: see section 29 page 4 of State of Florida Complaint above.

According to consumers contacted by the Attorney General, EDN, KATHEIN and YEZCHEKELL charged many consumers who had never visited EDN web pages and who, in some instances, did not even own computers. (page 9 section 65 of State of Florida complaint).

Eyal Yezchekell is NextWeb Media CEO and Itai Kathein is NextWeb Media President. NextMedia Media owns Predicto.com and other scam websites.

Yezchekell and Kathein were respectively CEO and President of EDN (Email Discount Network) which was previously involved in previous unauthorized cell phone scams whih affected hundreds of thousand of subscribers in different states (Florida, Georgia, Washington).

See complete details in State of Florida complaint: http://myfloridalegal.com/webfiles.nsf/WF/JFAO-6U3MJB/$file/EDNComplaint.pdf New filings started in Michigan and Illinois in 09/18/2009 (including a class action).

It seems to me that all the anger at Predicto is misplaced.  It's not quite news that these people are slime.  No amount of lawsuits will make them stop.  As long as the cell phone gravy train is still running, they will just pop up as a new company and strike again.

So...what about the cell phone companies?  Unlike Predicto, they choose to be accountable to their customers -- or not!  If there were more awareness of this kind of "opt-in" (excuse me, "industry best practice double opt-in") scam, an enterprising cell phone company would be able to gain a competitive advantage by refusing to work with the likes of Predicto.  Do the cell phone companies get a cut of our $10?  There has to be a reason NextWeb & Co. (&  co. & co.) are more important to the cell phone providers than their current and prospective customers.

Dear Predicto Mobile and NextWeb Media representative,

It seems that you have your left hand does not even know what your right hand is doing.

NextWeb Media owns Residential Email as well as Predicto and Predicto Media. By some kind of coincidence the names of your top management seem to be related to previous unauthorized cell phones charges case filed across the country.

After I recouped with some other lawsuits, Eyal Yechezkell, CEO and Itai Kathein, President helped to found another company called Email Discount Network (EDN).

EDN was sued in Florida, Washington State, and Georgia for the same type of scam Predicto is spreading today.

See Washington State Office settlement agreement (EDN) http://www.atg.wa.gov/pressrelease.aspx?id=14424 See Georgia Settlements (EDN) http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/settlements/07712/unauthorized-cramming.html#

See Georgia Subscriber Refunds http://www.georgia.gov/00/article/0,2086,5426814_5684686_80061913,00.html See state State of Florida complaint: http://myfloridalegal.com/webfiles.nsf/WF/JFAO-6U3MJB/$file/EDNComplaint.pdf

A new class action was filed 09/18/2009 in Eastern District of Michigan: Predicto used expired cell-phone contracts to bill new cell phone subscribers see court document at: http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/09/18/Alltel2.pdf

My guess is that Predicto, Predicto Mobile, PredictoMobile, or whatever is using kind of pyramid scheme to pay back previous subscribers with new subscribers just like Madoff in the financial arena.

My question is now: do Cell phone companies ever check customers complains, I just send a letter with a photocopy of the above documents to Verizon and ask them how they can authorize Predicto Mobile as a 3rd party.

PredictoMobile, an engaging, interactive service, is one of the most popular premium mobile services in the United States. We pride ourselves on an active involved subscriber base who enjoy voting on surveys, entering sweepstakes and earning Loyalty Points redeemable for Rewards merchandise such as like iPods, Xboxes and Gift Cards. Predicto has the highest levels of subscriber use in the industry. Check out the latest features such as PredictoTV and what America is currently predicting in real time at www.predicto.com.

We use an industry best practice double opt-in sign-up procedure to prevent inadvertent or fraudulent sign-ups. Predicto has virtually no legitimate complaints about unauthorized sign-ups or charges. And we maintain the best most responsive customer service in the industry. You can call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 800-360-0518.

We stand behind our services and our company. If you have a problem with Predicto, just pick up the phone and we'll take care of it.