Rockefeller questions wireless carriers on unwanted charges

{mosads}But in his letter this week, the senior senator expressed concern that crammers are now migrating to the wireless industry.

He said in recent months, wireless customers have increasingly complained about being charged for unwanted services, such as celebrity gossip, horoscopes, sports scores or diet tips.

Rockefeller said the scams are “remarkably similar” to the scams his committee uncovered in its investigation of wireline cramming.

He noted that consumers are receiving conflicting advice about how to avoid the unwanted charges. Some people say consumers should text “STOP” or “CANCEL” to opt out of the information texting services, but others say that texting anything will only confirm to the crammer that they have reached a working phone number.

Rockefeller asked the four national carriers — Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile — to explain what steps they have taken to avoid charging their customers for unwanted services and what consumers should do to opt out of the programs.