FTC: Allow Consumers To Block All Third-Party Charges From Mobile Phone Bills

The Federal Trade Commission says unauthorized charges on mobile-phone bills, a practice known as “cramming,” should be blocked by wireless providers at a consumer’s request.
The FTC, responding to a request by the Federal Communications Commission, says blocking all third-party charges should be an option for consumers.
The FTC has acted on charges of cramming on landline phone bills, but says the number of complaints about wireless bills “understates the full extent of wireless cramming by a substantial amount.”
“Mobile cramming is likely to continue to grow as cramming schemes expand beyond the landline platform and mobile phones are more commonly used for payments,” the comment states.
Recent complaints focus on regular monthly charges of slightly less than $10 for “premium services” offering consumers trivia or horoscope information by text message. Consumers often say they have never heard of the service or did not request it.

The FTC did not say it would suggest banning or a default blocking of third-party billing as it did for landline phone service.