Game firm which promised Facebook and Tumblr users it could reveal who viewed their profiles fined £45,000

The Gameztour and Playneto games also charged unwitting customers up to £4.50 a week

A woman unrelated to the fine logs onto social networking website Facebook, which was part of the Nobinet scam (MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP/GettyImages)

Online games similar to Pac-Man have led to their service provider being fined £45,000 after they charged unknowing customers up to £4.50 a week, and told them they could reveal who was looking on their social media profiles.

The premium rate phone services regulator PhonepayPlus said it issued Cyprus-based Nobinet the fine and ordered it to give customers refunds over the “misleading” Gameztour and Playneto games.

The regulator said the games lured users with adverts on Facebook and Tumblr by promising to reveal the identities of who had viewed their profiles - information not usually available to users.

When clicked on, the adverts re-posted themselves on to the user's wall and took them to the Pac-Man-style games.

Users were asked to enter their phone numbers to start a game, with the promise of high-value prizes, but several reported that they had not realised they were signing up for subscriptions costing up to £4.50 a week.

PhonepayPlus said it received eight complaints about the games, but urged anyone affected to come forward.

Patrick Guthrie, a PhonepayPlus spokesman, said: “Consumers were tricked into signing up for this service by misleading digital marketing.

”Most affiliate marketing services follow the rules, but this case should be a warning to consumers to take care following adverts that then require them to enter their phone number online.

“If an advert promises something that looks too good to be true, then treat it with caution.”

Additional reporting by PA