CONGRATS to the purveyors of premium rate number scams.

They have just moved into the top ten in a recent 'Top of the Cons' survey by the National Consumer Agency.

These phone line operators trick unwary customers into racking up exorbitant bills when they call certain numbers, which in Ireland begin with 15.

Most people would be too canny to part with ready cash, but they might not think twice about making a phone call, little suspecting that the call gives unscrupulous operators a direct line to their wallets.

"A letter says you have won a sweepstake or the holiday of a lifetime. To claim your prize you are told to ring a premium rate number, " NCA states, in relation to the fraudsters.

The recorded message goes on for ages, and the prize doesn't exist. It's a scam, and the next time you look at your phone bill you realise the call has cost a small fortune and there's little you can do.

But premium rate numbers are not the sole preserve of illegal scamsters. Many respectable outfits make a packet by getting their customers to clock up pricey phone charge, perfectly legally.

TV shows here and in Britain inveigle viewers into paying 75c a minute and more to vote for wannabes pursuing their dreams.

Ever wondered how on earth so many votes go to 'yer wan' with two left feet in the dance competition, or some guy in a naff jumper warbling his mammy's favourite songs?

Could it be because all their friends and relatives feel obliged to support their bid for fame, even at the exorbitant premium rate price?

The pool of eejits daft enough to pay to vote without actually knowing the performer in person is probably big enough in Britain to avoid this, but RTE is sufficiently worried about the possibility here that it issues a stern warning on its website about automated voting.

RTE also quaintly warns that voters should get the lineholder's permission before making these pricey calls . . . a warning apparently aimed at teenagers. And of course all of Ireland's obedient and respectful teens will respect that, right?

The bottom line is that TV stations, which should be protecting consumers from this sort of racket with good consumer-led investigations, are actually the ones pocketing the loot. And sometimes even these handsome profits aren't enough.

Recently British channels had to pull premium rate shows pending an investigation into overcharging. An inquiry was launched into a competition on Channel 4's Richard and Judy after claims callers were encouraged to ring in even though contestants had already been selected.

This follows the revelation that ITV overcharged viewers trying to vote in every show of the last series of The X Factor.

The mistake affected 1.3 million votes. Digital viewers should have been charged 35p. Instead they had to cough up 50p, earning an extra �200,000 for ITV.

Incidentally, RTE openly charged Northern Irish voters 50p sterling . . . as much as the alleged overcharging by ITV . . . in the recent You're a Star show. The cost of calls in the Republic wasn't far behind at 60c . . . and that was just for landlines. They are less helpful about the price of mobile calls, stating that they "may vary". Imagine the uproar if a publican put that up on his price list for a pint of Guinness.

ITV got so excited about all the money it was fleecing out of viewers that it set up a special channel . . . ITV Play . . .

just for premium-rate number shows. It trousered �9m ( 13m) in just four months, before being closed down pending an investigation.

The latest crowd to get in on this act are cinemas, some of which have introduced premium rate numbers for customers who innocently ring up to book tickets. (You'd have thought it was in their interest to reduce queues and service costs. ) For the record, you can book tickets much faster and much cheaper online. And if you have always-on broadband, it's free.