Kentucky will benefit from a $105 million national settlement with AT&T over fraudulent billing practices.
The settlement resolves allegations that AT&T Mobility placed charges for third-party services on consumers’ mobile phone bills that had not been authorized by the consumer, a practice known as “mobile cramming.”
Consumers who have been crammed often complain about charges for premium text message subscription services such as horoscopes, trivia, and sports scores that they have never heard of or requested. “No one likes to pay for something they didn’t authorize,” Attorney General Conway said in a news release. “This settlement will help stop cramming on Kentuckians’ cell phone bills and return money to those who paid for charges that they neither requested nor used. I encourage Kentucky consumers who have been affected by mobile cramming through AT&T Mobility to submit a claim through the Federal Trade Commission’s restitution program.”
Most of the money from the settlement will go toward refunds to consumers. A portion will also go to the FCC and to states. Kentucky is receiving more than $280,000.
Beginning today, consumers can submit claims under the AT&T Mobility cramming refund program by visiting www.ftc.gov/att. If consumers are unsure about whether they are eligible for a refund, they can visit the claims website or call the claims administrator at 1-877-819-9692.