Beware of Unauthorized Cell Phone Charges

Having recently been a victim of wireless phone bill “cramming,” I am doing all I can to make people aware of this dishonest practice. Cell phone companies have been allowing third parties to make charges to your account.  If you receive a text with an offer that says you must reply with “no” or “stop” in order to not be charged, and you choose not to reply, they will charge you.  I would have been charged more than ten dollars a month for a service that I did not explicitly authorize had I not caught this. 

I encourage everyone to contact their cell phone provider to place a purchase block on their account.  A purchase block is a free service provided by wireless phone companies.  Once the purchase block is in place, you will be sent a PIN by your provider that will have to be entered to allow third parties to place charges on your account.  If you think you have already been charged, contact your service provider to have these charges refunded.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have reviewed thousands of complaints regarding unauthorized third party charges over the last few years and have reported that mobile cramming is likely to continue to grow as mobile phones are more commonly used for payments. 

Although this appears to be entirely a federal issue, I am examining possible solutions with the New York State Department of State Division of Consumer Protection and will work with the FCC and FTC towards making purchase blocks a mandatory default feature for all wireless plans.  At a time when many families are struggling to pay their bills, the last thing they need to worry about is paying additional money for charges they did not permit or even know they are paying for.