SILOAM SPRINGS — Irecently happened to look at my phone bill more closely, and what I saw shocked me.

It seems that for the last four months, my phone company had permitted a company to bill me for services totaling $99.75.

My first call was to the phone company, which told me this “third-party biller” said I had authorized it to bill me - on my phone bill, no less. And because I hadn’t asked the phone company to block third-party providers (who knew you had to?), the phone company was happy to accommodate such billers who merely claimed I had given them permission.

The phone company said it knew nothing about the services I was being billed for, but as many people had complained about this billing, it would reimburse me for two months of the charges. Unfortunately, as I had let this go on for four months (I mean, who really examines in detail their phone bill each month, or expects this kind of thing?), the phone company could not provide any more reimbursement than that. But if I had a problem with that, the phone company helpfully noted it had provided me with the 800 number for this “service” on my bill so that I could call to resolve it. Which I promptly did.

I was initially put in touch with an answering service that connected me to the “company” in question. I use the term “company” loosely. The person I finally spoke to (I’ll call him “Joe”) told me I was being billed for Internet services for which I had signed up. “I didn’t sign up for Internet services from you,” I said.

According to Joe, it involved something I had checked somewhere on the Web, whether it was checking “I agree” to some contract for a legitimate service I had requested (you know, that language you have to accept that is too long and legalistic to read,but which, if you don’t sign, you don’t get what you are requesting?) or that I had “clicked on something.” That’s if you believe Joe.

Then, more disturbingly, I pried out of Joe that someone had signed me up for this service, someone whose name I wheedled out of him. I had never heard of him. Joe said the guy who signed me up had provided my address, but, mysteriously, Joe would not give me the name of the person on the account that had my address - for which I was being billed, no less. At this point, I was livid. I asked Joe his full name, title and the address of his company. He wouldn’t tell me. Finally, I was able to drag it out of him that he was in a city in central Florida. He began taking selfrighteous umbrage at my “yelling at him” and put me on hold so he could “check with his boss” (just like at car dealerships!). When Joe came back, he said he could reimburse me for only two months of service. It was obvious to me this now that this was a scam, and our phone company was complicit in allowing it.

Armed with the name of the company from my phone bill and now its location, I called the Better Business Bureau of Central Florida. I talked to a woman who said she spent much of her time handling problems stemming from this “company,” to which the BBB had given an “F” rating.

I then got into my advanced consumer activist mode, in which I become a very ag-gressive bureaucratic pit bull.

So I not only e-mailed the entire story of this mess to the BBB of Central Florida, but I e-mailed the Arkansas Attorney General’s office. And I’m pleased to report that after two phone bills, I have finally gotten the entire robbed sum credited back to me from my phone company. Kudos to the BBB and the state Attorney General’s office in particular.

Decorum prohibits me from commenting further on my phone company. Suffice it to say we are going to become an all-cell-phone family.

But I remain worried about four things: First, the fact that phone companies accept these third-party, fraudulent billers based only upon their word that we order services, unless, of course, we put a “third-party block” on our phone accounts, much like you had to do to block “slamming,” the practice of longdistance providers stealing your account without your consent; second, the fact that this fraudulent, “F”-rated company still has my personal information and could use it for other means, including identity fraud; third, the fact the Internet is such a dangerous place to visit and especially to transact business, even with reputable providers, because of thosecomplicated contracts they require you to check or other things you unknowingly click on; and fourth, the fact the world is so filled with scammers. I mean doesn’t anyone have an interest in making an honest buck these days? Or have too many people seared their consciences?

So now I plan to check my credit report annually and keep a better eye on my bills.

But I urge legislators and regulators to stop phone companies from becoming vehicles for fraud. I mean they’re not credit card companies, for Pete’s sake.

At least credit card companies put holds on potential fraudulent billing and investigate it, rather than just providing you with an 800 number and washing their hands of it.

I tell my students this story to show them that citizens need to empower themselves by taking the time to fight back, even if the results do not come out in their favor. Why?

Because this is a democracy, and things change occasionally with citizen pressure.

What’s more, your chances are slim to none of reversing fraud if you don’t at least try.

And that’s just what scammers are counting on.

- Dr. Barbara Warner is a former congressional press secretary and White House appointee to the U.S. Commerce Department. She holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the University of Arkansas.

Address markers available from Gentry FD

Gentry Fire Department has reflective address markers available to help responders locate a home or apartment quickly in the event of an emergency.

The reflective address markers are only $10 and are made to last for years. For more information, call 228-0694. The signs are also available from the HighfillVolunteer Fire Department. Those in the Highfill Fire District may obtain the signs for $10 by calling 736-5711 or stopping at the Highfill City Hall.

Opinion, Pages 4 on 10/21/2009

Comments

To report abuse or misuse of this area please hit the "Suggest Removal" link in the comment to alert our online managers.

Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.