You"ve probably heard of these numbers. They start with a given set of digits, unique for certain areas, and they are always connected with entertainment or non-profit organization projects. The idea behind premium rate phone numbers is to attract customers who will dial the number and pay extra money for the call. Of course, there is nothing wrong with it if the customer knows what he or she is doing. The person might dial a given number and be perfectly aware of the fact that a significant part of the money will be given to the company or organization who invented the game or launched the project. But there are cases, although rather rare today, when the customer is not entirely aware of what he or she is doing. For example, an elderly person might be prone to manipulation much more often than younger people are. The person might dial a number, thinking it"s a kind of call centre, and expect to pay just for the call, not for additional services. Should we avoid dialing premium rate phone numbers altogether? I don"t think so. I think we ought to make sure how much the service really costs beforehand. The costs should be mentioned in each advertisement, so remember to read the small print information, too.