The latest scam in our largely unregulated computerized world is ‘cramming,’ a criminal practice that imposes small charges on your phone bill for false services or products. The root cause is the lack of adequate security at phone companies, which allow thieves to corrupt the billing system and arrange for fraudulent charges.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the perpetrators keep crammed charges small, to increase the likelihood that you will pay your bill without noticing the false charges.
Consumer and business telephone bills, on landline and wireless bills are affected by the criminal activity. Crammed charges may appear on any page of a telephone bill, so you should carefully review your bill on a monthly basis. If you find a crammed charge, contact the phone company.
The FCC has been looking into regulations covering cramming since last July, bu t has thus far done nothing.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
