Representational imageKottayam: “Hi, I miss you”...“Hi, I am free now”... Have you felt irritated by the random messages inviting you to not-so-straight chats even if you are holding a BSNL connection? You are not alone. The public sector telecom services provider has joined its private counterparts in making easy money by hooking its customers to sex calls.
The shady messages prompt the subscriber to call up a 11-digit number which connects to a BSNL center and to an unknown location where a woman greets them. The woman is ready to talk on anything and even lures the caller into depositing money into her account.
The caller we were connected to introduced her as Kavya but a quick check based on the account number she gave revealed her real name. She was probably speaking from Hyderabad.
The “value-added service” burns a hole in the subscriber’s pocket. The call is charged at Rs 3 per minute. About 90 percent of the revenue thus generated goes to the private contractor who organizes the phone sex service, while the BSNL retains 10 percent. The private agencies find enough women to play along because they offer them an opportunity to make some quick bucks.
The BSNL seems to be hooked on to the service that offers the corporation a steady stream of additional revenue. The Kerala Circle has been flooded by complaints from irritated subscribers but the central office refuses to put an end to the service, employees said.
You can end such promotional service anytime by texting ‘START 0’ to 1909.
