I have written to my Senator, Barbara Boxer, and to the FTC, and now, I thought I would bring this up with you.
Another DailyKos author, flyonthewall, has written about this issue this year. I didn't read it BUT what happened to flyonthwall happened to my mother. SEE how important it is to read the DailyKos! I have the flyonthewall's link near the end where it fits with my questions.
I really hate it when Corporations and those with more money then Gaud screw the little people. Pisses me off!!! The Health Care stuff and Net Neutrality.... it's enough to start a Common Citizen's Union and MARCH!
My story and it's supporting links are below. It is all about how AT&T screws the old and infirm using scammers and crammers to add 'ghost products' on their phone bills. YES! Do watch over your phone bills, but watch over your prescriptions, your food, your water, your children and poopties!!!! Oh, yes, each other, too.
Here is what I wrote to Barbara Boxer and the FTC.
A massive fraud perpetrated by the telecommunications companies take money from customers by adding charges to bills without the customer’s consent, called “cramming”. Many victims are the old and feeble. These operations (big telecommunications and scammers) must be shut down, now, and the telecommunications companies, which support these groups, must be held responsible.
Action: we need to stop AT&T and other telecommunication companies using groups like BSG (HBS Billing Services) from ‘cramming’ phone bills with charges for ‘ghost products’. New Federal Laws must be written to protect citizens from telephone companies from their use of fly-by-night spammers and crammers to increase phone bills with fraudulent products and then, feigning ignorance and escaping responsibility. Presently, only the scammers have had their hands slapped – the large telecommunications companies need both jail time and heavy fines. This is both fraud and racketeering.
My mother, who is 79 years old and lives in California. She has not been well for several years. She has never used the Internet. She rarely used a computer while she was working (retired at 55). However, she was fraudulently ‘signed up’ by an unknown ‘person’ for an Internet service while a customer of AT&T. Hundreds of other victims of this fraud, like my mother, have been documented across the nation by various consumer sites. The AT&T billing company, HBS Billing Services and its owner, BSG Clearing Solutions, a long time business partner with AT&T, supplies ‘services’ for AT&T. The action is called ‘cramming,’ which adds false charges for ‘ghost products’ on phone bills. This has been a problem since AT&T divested into smaller separate companies plus the Telecommunications Act in 1998 allowed telephone bills to be filled with unauthorized charges.
Last week (October 19, 2009) my mom called me to say her phone bill was higher than normal and she asked me to look into the problem for her. She has been having trouble reading and understanding her bills, as a sign of dementia, and I have been slowly taking over her responsibilities but have left a few things, like the phone bills, for her to do. I called customer service and asked why my mother’s bill was so high. The AT&T representative itemized what was on the bill for me (I live 25 miles from my mother and did not have it in front of me) and kept mentioning something about my mother’s internet service, “My mother does not have internet service! She has NEVER had internet service.”
It was determined that someone was billing her for something she did not and could not have asked for, but it was added to her telephone bill. The fraudulent billing company name was a line item on her bill called ‘HBS Billing Services” under ‘Plans and Services’ and ‘AT&T Corp,’ seemingly to be ‘normal’ billing procedures. The AT&T representative continued to point to my mother’s Internet service… “NO! My mother does not have Internet service! What are you talking about?” The AT&T representative, said there was a charge from an Internet source, “What internet source?” I asked. “Well, if you want to stop the charges you will have to call the company…” “What company?” “Findyourdiet.com it is owned by a company called, ‘United Tel LLC,’’ “ the AT&T rep said. “What is that?” I asked. “You will have to call them. Here is their number…. 1 800 687 5298” “They have to take the charges off your bill.” Said the AT&T representative.
I called the company, findyourdiet.com but said to their rep I would not give my name or my mother’s name until they could tell me how someone without internet service or a computer get charged for their internet service on their phone bill. “Since you are not cooperating,” said the findyoudiet.com rep, “I am going to get my manager…” The manager told me someone at “205.177.133.23” in Philadelphia on February 4, with an email address of ‘retsynas1@gmail.com’ who was on the website, ‘mypriceloto.com’ filled out a form to charge my mother’s telephone service for findyourdiet.com. I asked the manager at findyourdiet.com who was this person, “I don’t know.” “How did they get my mother’s name, address, and phone number?” “I don’t know.” “Well, how far back did you bill her?” “It looks like since February” “I want it all removed! And I want her money back!” I said.
Articles, included in this paper, describe people accidentally ‘asking’ for these charges. One scenario describes someone making a wrong 1-800-phone number and then being charged. Another, clicking on an ad on a website on the Internet and then their IP addresses were traced and THEN they bill’s were ‘crammed’ by the phone company. My mother had not done any of these. The manager of this scam ‘internet service’ said to me that someone in another state using an IP address (I found that it was linked with Ukrainian professional spammers - please see the last page for the screen shot of this source), and they filled in my mother’s data in a website using a Gmail account (retsynas1@gmail.com). This indicates that there are people who are purposelfuly and probably hired to add people to these false accounts to be billed by their telephone company. This is racketeering and it has gone on for years, unabated, except for a few impotent run-ins with a few state Attorney Generals, Consumer Affairs, and the FTC (there are links to those rulings and one copy of one case at the end of this paper).
Afterwards, I called AT&T to made sure that the charges were expunged. They said they would give her credit from February and that AT&T, now, owed my mom $1.95. I thought that was the end, but the next month the charges were back. I called AT&T and they tried to tell me again that I had to call the service but I told them, “No… you will remove all the charges…. And here is why…”
Connections between AT&T, HBS Billing Services, United Tel LLC and fraudulent Internet services like, ‘Findyourdiet.com’
- Who is HBS Billing Services? How are they connected to Untied Tel LLC?
Avery Communications Corporation, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: ATEX) became a fully reporting, SEC registered company effective August 27, 1999, thereby registering all of Franklin's common shares. Avery is the public parent of HBS Billing Services, Ltd, which provides local exchange carrier clearinghouse billing services and Primal Solutions, Inc. a provider of internet enabled customer management and intelligence solutions to the communications industry.
Who is HBS Billing Services? How are they connected to Untied Tel LLC?
http://www.allbusiness.com/...
- Who are the owners of United Tel, LLC and HSB?
‘Spyware Slayer vendor settles false-advertising suit’
Publication, Networkworld, Nov. 29, 2006
“The sellers of the ‘Spyware Slayer’ anti spyware program have agreed to pay $300,000 in fines to settle charges that they violated Washington State spyware and consumer-protection laws. Both the charges and the settlement were filed Wednesday in King County Superior Court in Seattle, said Katherine Tassi, Washington state assistant attorney general. Two companies, both controlled by the same owners, were named in the settlement, she said: High Falls Media of Hilton, N.Y.; and Roc Telecommunications of Rochester, N.Y. Company associates Thomas Tortora, Mark Libutti and Brian Einhaus, all of New York, were also named as defendants. They could not be reached immediately for comment, and the freepcscan.com Web site used to market Spyware Slayer was no longer active Wednesday…”
http://www.networkworld.com/...
http://classactionconnect.com/...
http://www.atg.wa.gov/...
http://www.pcdistrict.com/...
http://classactionconnect.com/...
- From the Blog – Printmaster.com (some of the victims more in the links provided)
If you see the words “Answerstop Voicemail Monthly Fee” on your phone bill for $16.48, you may have a service you didn’t sign up for.
My colleague in my office started getting this on her phone bill and I have to sit across from her. I’ve heard her yelling her head off at these people trying to get this service removed. The number for these people is +1-866-928-1093 and apparently, the people in charge are Mike and Christina.
Services they illegally put on your phone bill include:
Answerstop Voicemail
Privacy Plus Voice Mail
Voice Express
VoiceXpress
Antivirus Email
It’s hard to pinpoint who is perpetrating the crime here, but the companies involved and allowing it to happen are below. If you know any other names, please post them in the comments, and I will add them here when I can:
Enhanced Services Billing, Inc.
ESBI
Billing Concepts
BSG Clearing Solutions Gmbh (why is a company in germany getting away with screwing americans?)
Zero Plus Dialing, Inc.a
ZPDI
USBI
OAN
HBS
ESBI Spec Serv & Prod
Various addresses for these people include: PO BOX 15624_CLEARWATER FL 33766_PHONE 1-888-523-3724 Enhanced Services Billing, Inc._7411 John Smith Drive, Suite 200 San Antonio, TX 78229-4898
HBS Billing Services 4242 Medical Drive, Suite 2100 San Antonio, TX 78229
Other Resources
FTC Website mentions ESBI
ESBI Website - to submit a complaint!
ZPDI - Behind the screen
A little self-promotion from Billing concepts
I hope this little blog helps someone. I hate scams & if anyone has any information on how to deal with these scumbags, please share it with the rest of us to help get rid of this scourge on society.
http://pintmaster.com/...
- How does the telephone company figure into this scam?
‘AT&T Gives Subs an Option to Charge Web Content Purchases to Phone Bills.’
August 2007 in ‘Screen Plays, a publication by Broadband Information Resources Inc. –
“In what could be a landmark move in the battle for broadband customers AT&T
has begun allowing customers buying certain content over the Web to charge
their purchases to their telephone bills. The carrier declines to discuss details
of the initiative, such as types of content that are covered by the new policy, how
widespread the offering is or how the company is marketing the option to users. But
it acknowledges it has implemented the program, which is administered through the
Bill2Phone platform launched earlier this year by BSG Clearing Solutions.
“AT&T recognizes the value of being able to bill digital content on the home phone
bill,” says AT&T spokesperson Jenny Parker. “End user customers appreciate being able to receive one combined and easy-to-read bill.”“We’ve been working for over two and a half years to facilitate billing of consumer purchases to phone bills,” says Greg Carter, president of BSG Clearing Solutions North America, LLC. “We’re beyond the test phase with AT&T, and we’re talking to many other LECs as well as cable companies ….”“….He stresses that, while many other entities provide credit card settlement support fore-commerce merchants, only BSG has the capability to handle credit cards and chargesto phone bills. “The provider can send the transaction record to BSG, and we’ll direct that record for payment to the appropriate banking relationship, credit card or phone bill, depending on the terms of that specific account,” he explains….”
Also read: http://notes.kateva.org/...
- Who pays who to scam the public?
‘Telecom billing-services firm eying the digital media market’
San Antonio Business Journal - by Mike W. Thomas, Friday, August 21, 2009 Modified: Monday, August 31, 2009
“…BSG’s lineage stretches back to the break-up of Ma Bell in 1985. The company was initially formed out of that break-up and tasked with providing billing services for the telephone industry. Over the years, the company has changed names and ownership multiple times, gone public and private and evolved new areas of business. Today, the company is publicly traded on the London stock exchange under the ticker symbol BILL.
AT&T is still one of BSG’s biggest clients. The company handles placing all the state and local fees and other charges that go on the telephone bill. “We even put AT&T’s own charges on their bills because we can do it faster and have been doing it for 20 years,” Carter says….”
http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/...
- How does HSB and BEG fit together?
PDF file of a Power Point, page 16… Company History of BSG
BSG organized its Wireline business in December 2003 through the simultaneous acquisitions of: BC Holdings I Corporation (the parent company of Billing Concepts and Enhanced Services Billing, Inc.) from Platinum Equity Holdings
Thurston Communications Corporation (the parent company ACI Billing Services, Inc. and HBS Billing Services Company) contributed by Avery Communications, Inc. BSG has further expanded its Wireline product offerings through two strategic acquisitions
Certain assets of VoiceLog LLC – leading provider of third-party verification solutions; and VeriSign’s LEC toll clearinghouse BSG’s Wireless division has been developed via the acquisition of: EDS Interoperator Services GmbH – Rüsselsheim, Germany (August 2005) United Clearing Plc – London, United Kingdom (March 2006)
In June 2005, BSG was listed on the AiM market of the London Stock Exchange, trading under the ticker symbol ‘BILL’ At 31 August 2007, the Company had an equity market capitalization of $152MM and funded debt of
approximately $250MM
An investor presentation September 2007
http://about.bsgclearing.com/...
- How do the Billing Companies fit together with AT&T?
BSG is an AT&T “supplier” June 2006 Recognition Awards
http://www2.prnewswire.com/...
- Has anyone gotten into trouble with the law?
BSG under investigation by the Attorney General of Florida
http://myfloridalegal.com/...
- Has anyone gotten into trouble with the law?
FTC makes BSG pay 1.9 million to stop ‘cramming’ , March 13, 2008
http://www.ftc.gov/...
“FTC charged BSG Clearing Solutions North America, LLC, ACI Billing Services, Inc. d/b/a OAN, and Billing Concepts, Inc. (collectively, “BSG”) with placing charges on behalf of co-defendant Nationwide Connections, Inc. (see press releases dated March 15, 2006 and September 26, 2006). The three related companies control more than 85 percent of the billing aggregation market, in which aggregators contract with local telephone companies to bill on behalf of third parties. According to the FTC, BSG began receiving complaints from consumers soon after the Nationwide billing began, including complaints about charges for calls made to telephone lines dedicated to computers and fax machines, and to phones where no one was present.
The settlement would prohibit BSG from misrepresenting that consumers are obligated to pay for telecommunications charges that have not been expressly authorized. It also would be barred from billing or submitting any telecommunications charges for billing on a consumer’s telephone bill unless such charge has been expressly authorized. BSG would be in compliance with the proposed court order’s prohibitions against unauthorized billing if it takes all necessary steps before billing on behalf of new clients and while billing for existing clients to ensure it does not engage in the unauthorized billing of telecommunications charges. The settlement bars BSG from selling or renting consumers’ personal information obtained from Nationwide and requires BSG to create and maintain billing and consumer complaint records for eight years and submit various compliance reports to the FTC for five years.”
- How has consumer groups described these scams?
BSG Clearing Solutions rating by the BBB – C+ because of 677 complaints.
“Customer complaints allege unwarranted or unreasonable charges on telephone bills. ESBI responds by defining their processes and referring customers to the business responsible for the charges on their telephone bill.” As of October 26, 2009
http://www.bbb.org/...
- Now, put together the ‘bad’ players….
Findyourdiet.com applied to telephone bill by HBS Billings Services (owned by BSG, which services AT&T)
http://classactionconnect.com/...
http://www.dailykos.com/...
- How do these scammers work WITH companies like AT&T?
Telephone "Crammers" Settle FTC Charges
Billing Aggregators Debited Phone Bills for Charges Consumers Didn't Authorize, August 6, 2001
http://www.ftc.gov/...
“…ESBI and BCI each served as "billing aggregators." Billing aggregators open the gate to the telephone billing and collection system for vendors, and act as intermediaries between the vendors and the local phone companies, contracting with the local phone companies to have charges on behalf of their client vendors placed on consumers' telephone bills and to have the local telephone companies collect those charges from consumers. Once the charges are collected by the phone companies, the billing aggregators, after taking their fee, pass the revenues back to their client vendors. Although billing aggregators' services allow consumers to use their phone services as a payment mechanism, they are also susceptible to abuse if the billing aggregators fail to adequately police the practices of vendors who may engage in fraudulent billing….”
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Before the
Federal Communications Commission
Washington, D.C. 20554
In the Matter of
1st United Tel-Com, Inc.
Apparent Liability for Forfeiture )
)
)
)
) File No. EB-06-TC-3303
NAL/Acct. No. 20073217 0045
FRN: 0016272023
FORFEITURE ORDER
Adopted: April 27, 2009 Released: April 28, 2009
By the Enforcement Bureau:
- In this Forfeiture Order (“Order”), we issue a monetary forfeiture in the amount of four thousand dollars ($4,000) against 1st United Tel-Com, Inc. (“1st United” or “Company”). 1st United violated a Commission order by failing to respond to the directive of the Enforcement Bureau (“Bureau”) to provide certain information and documents. 1st United acted in willful or repeated violation of Section 503(b) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, (“Act”) and Section 1.80 of the Commission’s rules (“Rules”).
- On March 30, 2007, the Bureau issued to 1st United a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture (“NAL”) proposing a forfeiture in the amount of four thousand dollars ($4,000) based on 1st United’s apparent violation of a Bureau’s directive. The NAL gave 1st United the option of paying the proposed forfeiture or of filing a response to the NAL stating why the proposed forfeiture should either not be assessed or should be reduced. The NAL was sent by certified mail to 1st United’s last known address. 1st United has not filed a response to the NAL nor has 1st United paid the proposed forfeiture amount. Based on the information before us, we affirm this forfeiture.
- Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED THAT, pursuant to Section 503(b) of the Act, and Sections 0.111, 0.311 and 180(f)(4) of the Rules, 1st United Tel-Com, Inc. IS LIABLE FOR A MONETARY FORFEITURE to the United States Government in the sum of four thousand dollars ($4,000) for willfully and repeatedly violating Section 503 of the Act and Section 1.80 of the Rules.
- Payment of the forfeiture shall be made in the manner provided for in section 1.80 of the Commission’s rules within thirty (30) days of the release of this Order. If the forfeiture is not paid within the period specified, the case may be referred to the Department of Justice for collection pursuant to section 504(a) of the Act. Payment of the forfeiture must be made by check or similar instrument, payable to the order of the Federal Communications Commission. The payment must include the NAL/Account Number and FRN Number referenced above. Payment by check or money order may be mailed to Federal Communications Commission, P.O. Box 979088, St. Louis, MO 63197-9000. Payment by overnight mail may be sent to U.S. Bank – Government Lockbox #979088, SL-MO-C2-GL, 1005 Convention Plaza, St. Louis, MO 63101. Payment by wire transfer may be made to ABA Number 021030004, receiving bank TREAS/NYC, and account number 27000001. For payment by credit card, an FCC Form 159 (Remittance Advice) must be submitted. When completing the FCC Form 159, enter the NAL/Account number in block number 23A (call sign/other ID), and enter the letters “FORF” in block number 24A (payment type code). 1st United will also send electronic notification on the date said payment is made to Johnny.drake@fcc.gov. Requests for full payment under an installment plan should be sent to: Chief Financial Officer -- Financial Operations, 445 12th Street, S.W., Room 1-A625, Washington, D.C. 20554. Please contact the Financial Operations Group Help Desk at 1-877-480-3201 or Email: ARINQUIRIES@fcc.gov with any questions regarding payment procedures.
- IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that a copy of the Forfeiture Order shall be sent by first class mail and certified mail return receipt requested to 1st United Tel-Com, Inc. at its address of record.
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
Kris A. Monteith
Chief, Enforcement Bureau
- Below is what I found typing in .....What is 201.177.133.23 ?
Several Geek message boards demonstrated that this IP address is one of thousands used by spammers/crammers to create websites that ‘fold’ within weeks, entrapping unsuspecting visitors… and are also used as communication devices between these companies.
http://answers.yahoo.com/...