TELEPHONE / CELLULAR PHONE FRAUD 
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Telephones are an integral part of daily life for most people.  As such, they are often taken for granted.  Most people do not give much thought to their phone bills, a fact that criminals often use to their advantage.

A popular telephone scam involves switching long distance services without the consumer's consent, called "slamming."  This fraudulent activity can occur in many ways, but the result is the same---an unsuspecting victim has his or her long distance service switched from the provider they selected to an unknown, much more expensive carrier.  And once someone has fallen victim to this type of scam, the odds dramatically increase that the person will experience it again.

Another way that these kinds of scams occur is through tricking consumers to sign some type of paperwork that authorizes the change of their long distance carrier.  This authorization is in small print, of course, and may be a part of a entry for a vacation opportunity, or other "free" prizes.  Before you sign your name to anything, always read the small print. 

These types of techniques can also be used to commit a kind of phone fraud called "cramming."  In this case, criminals add miscellaneous charges to a local phone bill for various "services."  They may fraudulently receive permission to do this in tactics similar to those described above, or they may simply contact your phone company and get them added on.  These fees are very small and often over-looked, usually a couple of dollars or less. But these criminals work on a large scale, so their net income from these fees from many consumers may be hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

Cellular phones are not immune to fraudulent activities.  A large number of cell phone numbers are pirated everyday.  In this scheme, high-tech criminals use equipment to gain unauthorized access to legitimate cell phone numbers and then use them to make expensive long distance calls that are difficult to trace.  Of course, these calls all show up on the legitimate user's phone bill.

The key to combating these types of fraud is to always closely review your phone bill.  If suspicious or unfamiliar calls appear, call your phone company to investigate.  In many cases, the fraud victim may not be liable for illegally placed calls or fraudulent charges.  

To avoid these types of criminal activities, consumers can request in writing that their long distance carrier not be changed without written permission.  It may also be possible to "freeze" your local service so that strange charges cannot be added to the bill.  Cellular companies may be able to change your cell phone number or provide you with a personal identification number (PIN) that could help combat fraudulent activity on your account.