The response of readers and SMS scam victims to those columns was overwhelming, and it was quickly put beyond doubt that the charging of mobile phone users for suscriptions they did not order was not a matter of accident. Telstra and the others included the charges for these scam subscriptions on their bills, and they refused to accept that they were thus responsible for that billing and the service. What's in it for Telstra and the others? And has or does Telstra and the others give the scammers access to their customer base?

The rort has continued unabated since those columns, and the ACCC chairman, Graeme Samuel, has just entered the fray with a written statement. It was, I say, late support for the people the ACCC is charged, ultimately, with protecting. Here's part of Mr Samuel's statement:

"Australia's telecommunications sector has become so riddled with rogue operators, deceitful behaviour and scams it can no longer be ignored. Unless the industry recognises it has a problem and acts decisively to correct it, it may find change forced upon it by the courts, the ACCC, and its disgruntled customers.

"The laundry list of problems, from misleading advertising to unfair contracts and deceptive mobile phone competitions, has been allowed to proliferate by service providers, publishers and carriers, who have turned a blind eye while taking a slice of the profits."

Later in the same statement: "It is not acceptable for carriers to wash their hands of responsibility as deceptive operators use their networks to entrap phone company customers with unwanted, expensive and difficult-to-unwind subscription services."

Where have you been Mr Samuel?

Tell us about your encounter with this scam and your phone service provider protesting that it had nothing to do with it.