"If you rip off consumers, you'll get caught and you'll get punished."

That was the message from Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Julius Genachowski as he took to the stage this week, reaffirming his agency's stance against "cramming," in which third parties tack unauthorized charges onto users' phone bills under obscure names such as Extra Services, Voicemail Service or Minimum Plan. Anyone who has been a victim of these kind of surreptitious charges will be glad to know the FCC is planning to get more aggressive in enforcing existing rules

Though many consumers may have never heard of cramming—or perhaps simply haven't heard it called by this name—the shady practice is surprisingly common. Cramming is so galling not because it's especially damaging to any one individual—charges are often just a few dollars a month to avoid detection—but rather because it's so brazen. A third party is adding charges to your phone bill without your permission for a service you never intended to pay for. Sometimes this is a service that a company offered and that you declined, yet they charged you for it anyway. More often, it's a service that you've never heard of, much less opted to pay for. In either case, it's theft.

Cramming is illegal, and companies that practice it are subject to fines. Genachowski's recommitment to fighting cramming is heartening, but it's hard to prosecute when the victims aren't even aware of the crime. Since cramming charges are small and show up under inconspicuous names, such as Voicemail Service or Other Fees, only about 5 percent of users charged for crammed services know that they've been scammed. Here are a few ways you can fight the cram.

Preventative Measures:

-Read your bill—all of it. Identifying crammed charges is easy if you keep a close eye on your monthly phone expenses and spot any unwelcome additions. Another simple way to find cramming is to avoid charging anything to your phone and wireless bills (examples include charitable donations via text message, voting charges for reality shows, weekly horoscopes and ring-tone services). Then any charge that you didn't authorize is likely a result of cramming.

-Keep track of paid phone services. If you are in the habit of accepting charges on your phone bill, or share a phone with someone who regularly calls, say, 1-900 numbers or psychic lines, keep close tabs on what is authorized and when. Crammed charges are much harder to spot if they share a bill with other obliquely named items.

-Ask for a third-party calling block. Ben Popken, managing editor of Consumerist.com, recommends asking your carrier for a blanket block of all third-party charges. "This prevents a lot of charges from ever getting on your bill," he says. Some carriers are receptive to this: T-Mobile is known to grant the request, as is Verizon. For most people, the blanket block won't ever be noticeable, Popken says, though it could prove an inconvenience for those who use legitimate paid services.

-Ask your home phone carrier for a carrier freeze, Popken says, which will prevent third parties from changing features of your long-distance service. (These scams are a lesser known sibling of cramming known as slamming.)

Dealing With a Crammed Bill:

-Call the culprit. Even crammed items are accompanied by contact information on your phone bill. Give the company a call and ask why you were charged. Assuming they don't have a good answer for you, ask to have the charges removed and discontinued. Expect resistance and evasion. Be careful with your words, and don't agree to anything unless the terms are completely clear—remember why you had to call these people in the first place. "We've gotten stories where [readers] thought they were getting a free line," Popken says, "and the company asks all these questions." When confronted about unauthorized charges later, the companies play back a recording in which the original call has been edited to sound like you actually approved them.

-Call your phone company. If the source of the charges is unhelpful or impossible to get in touch with, dispute the charge with your phone company. And don't give up quickly. Some customer support reps will tell you that the charges should be disputed with the company that levied them; many will relent with a little pressure.

-Report the scammers: If the charges claim to be for a phone service, report the offending company to the FCC. If the charges are for a nonphone product, you'll need to file a claim with the FTC.

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