The Illinois attorney general's office filed charges against a Texas firm it accused of using deceptive telemarketing tactics to charge consumers for telephone services they did not authorize, a practice known as “cramming.”
From August 2001 to October 2002, World Voice Link, Bedford, TX, called consumers in Illinois to offer free paging services and a free pager if they tried the company's call-messaging service, the Illinois attorney general's office said. According to the charges, consumers later found unauthorized $19.95 monthly charges on their credit cards and a one-time $29.95 setup fee.
Furthermore, the company sent bills for $49.95 plus $10 shipping along with the pagers it sent to consumers, the attorney general's office said. Consumers had been led to believe the pagers were free, according to the charges.
The attorney general's office seeks a permanent injunction against World Voice Link in addition to full consumer restitution and $50,000 per violation in civil fines.
