Seniors, protect yourself against this phone scam

by Christian Schreiber, staff blogger

How closely do you look at your phone bill each month? A lot of the charges listed have names you might not recognize, and your tendency might be to assume they are legitimate. But an article in the Spring 2009 CUB Voice warns readers against a phone scam called "cramming."

"Cramming" is when a company other than the phone company adds a charge to your bill, usually after contacting you via junk mail or a telemarketing call. Often the charges are given vague names, like "Enhancement service," "Voice mail," or "Membership fee." Consumers who don't read their phone bill simply pay the total without questioning any specific charges.

The article in the CUB Voice describes the experience of Dorothy Denton. When she noticed a $16.00 "Enhancement service" charge, she called her phone company. They put her in touch with a separate company who had levied the charge. Dorothy tried for months to get more information about the charge. Finally, she called her phone company and told them she had contacted CUB (the Citizens Utility Board) and was planning to file a complaint with the Illinois Attorney General if the charge wasn't removed. That did the trick. The charge was removed.

Dorothy was vigilant enough to not only notice the charge, but also investigate it, and get tough when she needed to! But she worries about senior citizens who might not look closely at their phone bills or might not know what to do with an unknown charge. If the charge is small enough, like Dorothy's, many people would rather simply pay it than question it.

If you'd like more information about "cramming," download the free fact sheet from CUB, "What is Cramming?" Don't let these companies line their pockets with your money!