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"Slamming" is when your long-distance telephone service is switched
to another company without your permission. It can happen in many ways.
You may receive a check in the mail, or enter a contest, not realizing that the
fine print says that by signing the check or the entry form you have agreed to change
your phone service. Or you may get a call offering you lower rates and, even if
you haven't agreed, find out later that you've been switched. Look at your phone bill
carefully. If a different long-distance company is listed, call your local phone company
to find out how to get switched back with no fee and how to be re-billed at your original
long-distance company's rates. |
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Don't Be "Crammed." When monthly charges pop up on
your telephone bill for optional services that you never authorized such as voice
mail, paging, a personal 800 numbers or club membership, it's called
"cramming." Like slamming, it can happen by filling out a contest entry
form, failing to respond to a negative option sales pitch, or calling a 900 number.
Or the crammer may simply pick your phone number out of the blue and place charges
on your bill through your local telephone company, claiming that you agreed to
purchase the services. Look at your bill closely every month. Charges for optional
services should be itemized and show the name of the company providing them and
its toll-free number. If you did not authorize the services, call that number and
insist that they be canceled and the charges removed from your bill. If the
"crammer" agrees, let your local telephone company know. If it refuses
or you can't get through, notify your local carrier that you're disputing the
charges. Be sure to pay your bill on time, subtracting the disputed amount and
any taxes or fees associated with it. Your phone service should not be
disconnected, but be aware that the "crammer" can refer the matter to a
collection agency. |
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Toll fraud occurs when someone charges their long-distance calls to your number.
If your calling card is stolen, or your account number is obtained by someone looking over
your shoulder at a pay phone, calls to places all over the world can be charged to your
calling card. Don't let people see you dialing your calling card number carefully and
report a stolen card right away. In another type of toll fraud scam, you may receive a
call from someone pretending to be from a phone company or a government agency claiming
to be investigating a phone problem and asking you to accept charges for a call. No
legitimate company or agency would ask you to do this. Hang up immediately. |
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Prepaid phone cards are sometimes worthless or more expensive to use than
coins or collect calls. Beware of cards that do not come with clear information about
the rates for the calls. Comparison shop for the best rates and find out if there are fees
or surcharges that might apply. Choose companies that provide toll-free numbers for 24-hour
customer service. If your card doesn't work, or the value of the card turns out to be
less than what it said, or you have other problems, report them to your state or local
consumer agency. |
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Claims of savings by using "dial-around" access numbers may be phoney.
Those seven-digit numbers that you can dial to get around your regular long-distance phone
company to save money could result in higher charges, not lower, if there are added fees
or calling minimums. Get all of the details and compare both the rates and the terms
before you use an access code to place your long-distance calls through another company. |
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Not all pay phones charge the same rates. Pay phones on streets, or in
hotels, airports, restaurants, stores and other public places may provide long-distance
service through different companies than your own long-distance carrier. There should
be information on or near the phone that explains how to get the service provider's rate
for the call and that you have the right to be connected to the long distance company of
your choice. If rate information is not provided or you are blocked from accessing
another company, report it to your state public utility department. |
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Not all 800 numbers are toll-free. You can be charged for calling an 800
number if you have agreed in advance. But some consumers are tricked into being
charged for 800 numbers by following instructions to dial "personal activation codes"
that are really access codes linking them to "pay-per-call" numbers, or by
other means. You can dispute improper 800 number charges by contacting the billing company. |
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Some 900 number and other "pay-per-call" services are not worth the
price of the call. Advertisements should say how much the call will cost, what information
or services will be provided, and if there is a contest involved, how you can enter for
free. When you dial a pay-per-call number that will cost more than $2, you must be told
the company's name, the cost of the call, what will be provided, that kids under the age of
18 need their parents' permission to stay on the line, and that you can hang up when you
hear a signal without being charged. Your phone service can't be shut off if you refuse
to pay disputed charges, though bill collectors may hound you. You can put a block on
your phone to prevent people from making 900 number calls from your home. |
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You may be lured into making an international call without realizing it.
Some international phone numbers look very similar to U.S. numbers, but the charges can
be far more. An advertisement may not make clear that the phone number listed is
international. Or you might receive a message on your pager, your computer or your
telephone answering machine that there is a family emergency or that legal action on a
debt is about to be taken, with an unfamiliar phone number to call. If you are unsure
where a number is, ask your operator before you dial. |
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Beware of fraudulent computer-generated phone charges. In the latest twist
to phone frauds reported to the National Fraud Information Center, consumers who
downloaded a program from a web site on the Internet to view pictures later received
huge phone bills for international calls they never made. They did not know that the
viewer program was designed to disconnect their computers from their regular Internet
service providers and reconnect them to the Internet through a phone number in Moldova,
formerly part of the Soviet Union! Don't download programs from web sites unless you
know and trust them. |