OffferPal Media and SuperRewards and now Google, are powering scams with SMS-subscription offers that trick users into putting long term subscriptions on their mobile phones.

Tap Defense, an iphone game created by TapJoy, contained multiple version of the SMS subscription scam. The SMS offers were being run by Offerpal.

While on other platforms users are offered virtual currency in exchange for answering a quiz or some other seemingly harmless offer. But once they click through and awswer the quiz questions they’re told they need to enter their mobile phone number to get quiz results. Often there is fine print outlining the charges. But the already tiny print is completely unreadable on a mobile screen, making that disclosure meaningless even when it appears.

SMS subscription scams are among the most lucrative offers to game publishers because users get a recurring fee of $10 – $25 per month until they are able to terminate the subscription. Many users never notice them, and those that do usually have a lot of trouble getting them shut off.

The Zwinky toolbar is back on Facebook games which one of the most hated malware wrappers on the Internet. Its back on Facebook offers, through both Offerpal and SuperRewards (we saw offers from both companies on Fishworld by TallTreeGames).