A WORRIED York mobile phone user has warned of a potentially costly text message which claimed he had won a holiday - as long as he rang a premium rate number.

Tony Akrill claims the text on his Vodafone mobile said he had to make a phone call, costing a minimum of £12, to claim a trip to Paris.

Mr Akrill, of Huntington Road, Huntington, said: "It said my number had been awarded a fully-paid four-day trip to Paris and to claim the tickets, I had to dial a number.

"It said the call cost £12 and more from a mobile phone. I am a bit suspicious of it and haven't called the number. There are that many people with mobile phones now I thought I had better let people know this was out there."

A Vodafone spokesman was unable to say whether the text message was a scam.

But he said it had definitely not come from Vodafone and advised anyone receiving the message to delete it. The spokesman said: "A holiday to Paris for about £12 might seem like a really good deal, but generally if something is too good to be true it usually is.

"People can get your number in all sorts of ways. Buying goods online often requires you to leave your mobile number, but if you do, you should check the terms and conditions, as often you have to tick a box to ensure the number isn't passed on.

"Other companies get mobile prefixes from OFTEL and then randomly generate numbers."

Mobile owners can register their number with the Telephone Preference Service, which keeps a register of numbers. All marketing companies are supposed to check their lists against the TPS register before sending texts, but this is still no guarantee of stopping unsolicited messages, the spokesman added.

The TPS can be contacted on 02072913320.

Liz Levett, City of York Council's Trading Standards Manager, said: "The text could be a scam or it could be a genuine marketing tool.

"We hear of these from time to time and anyone with concerns can contact the premium rate line watchdog ICSTIS on 02079407474."

"Our advice is unless you are willing to gamble a potentially large amount of money on something like this, delete the message and don't bother responding to it."

When the Evening Press rang 0906 1200199, a recorded message said the holiday offer was "genuine". But it said the trip was for one person only and a charge of almost £140 was payable for a second person to go. A third person sharing a room could travel for £98 with children under 16, also sharing a room, able to travel at a "50 per cent discount". Seasonal and weekend surcharges could also apply, the message said.

The phone call lasted just over seven minutes with the message saying it costs £1.50 per minute at all times and "more from mobiles".

Updated: 09:28 Thursday, November 07, 2002