Senator calls for regulation on mobile "cramming" scams

In a release issued today, U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer is calling for the Federal Communications Commission to crack down on "cramming": the practice of scammers who fool consumers into paying for unwanted services on their monthly phone bills.

These charges can appear on both landline and mobile phone bills. Schumer pointed out that though Verizon and AT&T have recently announced they will ban some third-party charges for landline phones from appearing without consumer consent, mobile phones were left out of the agreement. The senator asked that the FCC "mandate that consumers cannot be charged third party fees by so-called 'crammers' unless they give their explicit consent directly to their cell phone carriers." In the meantime, Schumer asked that wireless carriers ban the practice voluntarily.