‘Cramming’ Cell-Phone Scam Rings Up Big Bucks
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Have you been “crammed?” Protect yourself from the latest cell-phone scam that rings up big bucks.
Published: August 20, 2009
CLEVELAND, Ohio—Have you been “crammed?”
“Cramming” is the latest phone scam that rings up big bucks.
Click here for tips from the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel on how to avoid getting crammed.
Jason Freed was killing time online last fall when he found a Web site promising to help decide between presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain.
He went for it, answering a number of questions on his political views.
“At the end, it said enter your cell phone number and we’ll text you who you should vote for,” said Freed, of Cleveland. “I got my cell-phone bill a month later, and I had a premium text message charge for $9.99, and every time I got a text it was $9.99.”
“Cramming” starts by duping unsuspecting Internet users into providing their cell-phone numbers to take IQ quizzes, win prizes and get coupons to stores such as Home Depot, Walmart and Old Navy.
Once they get your number, they “cram” unwanted charges on your phone bill for things such as premium text messages, e-mail accounts and voicemail.
They charge you even if you didn’t want the service or never got it.
One woman, who did not want to be identified, says that she found three separate charges on her phone bill—purportedly for voicemail and e-mail services.
She said the companies charged the bill after her teenage daughter went to Web sites and entered a phone number to claim a prize and to sign up for cut-rate discounts.
“They seem to be small amounts,” she said, “hoping you never notice they’re on there.”
Dr. James Rambasek is not even sure how one company, Enhanced Bill Services, got his information after finding a charge on his bill.
“I called the number that was on the phone charge and they said that my son had authorized this charge to the number,” Rambasek said. “I said, ‘That can’t be. He’s never had access to this number.’ ”
In Ohio, complaints have tripled in three years from 66 in 2006 to 207 so far this year.
The Better Business Bureau urges anyone who uses the Internet to be wary of entering any personal information.
Companies can and do sell that information to marketers who will target you.
Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray said there are steps consumers can take to stop the charges.
Cordray suggested consumers contact their cell-phone service providers and ask them to block the third-party charges.
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Reader Reactions
Where is any consumer protection in all of this? We pay taxes now on every little thing,so where is our “representation” for such?
happens while ordering off the internet as well. Must read all fine print and ensure no boxes are checkmarked (or in some cases must be checkmarked) to avoid monthly charges that are automatically deducted from your account. it is really pathetic how these ppl feel that these rip-off methods are justifiable. They are worse than a corner store mugger as they hide away while clearing ppls accounts.
I pay thousands of telephone bills a month for a living. This doesn’t just happen to your cell phone, it can happen to your home and/or business line as well. Charges can be anywhere from 5.95/month all the way up to 99.95/month. A lot of the time it’s because you have gone to a website that offers something free, like $1000 in grocery coupons. It seems harmless because you are not entering any credit card info, but if you read the terms and conditions you will see that you are actually agreeing to a monthly charge for credit protection, voice mail, etc. This monthly charge is then added to your phone bill. It’s a ridiculous but completely legal practice. If you see these charges on your bill DO NOT pay them and contact the company that charged you IMMEDIATELY. When they ask for your name DO NOT use your own, and DO NOT use your own address. They will tell you where the charges came from and who signed up for them. If they give a name or someone you know do not tell them that you know them. Finally tell them that this is a business line and the charges were unauthorized. (Make up a business name or use Petland, Home Depot, etc., they are not going to check it.) They will issue you a credit back for the charges and issue a block on the number. Finally after all that is said and done call your phone company and request a block on your number from 3rd party vendors. (This is a free service, so do not let them tell you it will cost you anything.) If this has not happened to you yet, you may want to contact your phone company and request the block.
these ppl need to be prsecuted like your average thief.
The govt. obviously can find out who these scammers are. What they are doing is clearly a violation of federal and state laws (unfair or deceptive acts and practices). So why doesn’t the FTC and/or the AG hunt these scammers down like the dogs that they are. (My apologies to dogs.)
Well if people would take time to look… there is always small print on these “scams” that say your cellphone provider may charge you a fee, and it is usually around $10. Of course, how to get out of getting these texts, I have no clue unless someone can text reply “STOP” to whoever sends the messages.
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