Examples of Cramming

• Charges for service fees, taxes, and mysterious funds. Phone bills include a number of taxes and fees, and all of them should be explained in the Terms and Conditions of the contract agreement. If you cannot find an explanation anywhere in the contract or on the company website, it may be illegitimate.

• Charges for calls to an unrecognized number. This type of cramming is most costly when the charges are for international or 900 numbers. Check your bill for calls you didn’t place.

• Charges for an unauthorized service. An example is a charge for cell phone Internet usage when the Internet has never been accessed. Another example is text message charges on a phone without text message capability. These charges should be pretty obvious if you check your bill regularly. If you don’t recognize the company, or are unaware of the service it provides, start asking questions. The charges may only be for a few dollars a month, but that can add up quickly over the course of a couple months or even a year.

• Charges for an authorized service with misleading costs. An example is a charge of $300 for five minutes of cell phone Internet usage. Or, downloading a “free” cellular ring tone and unknowingly subscribing to a six-month $15/month contract. Double check the stated costs of the services you purchase with the actual costs on your bill. Also check to ensure services you cancel (or allow to expire) do not continue billing.