Unauthorized charges from Intgeratel/The Bill Resource
Complaint
Dee
Country: United States
Intgeratel/The Billing Resource was spotted on my phone bill, I tried to call The Billing Resource at 1-800-296-8079 only to discover that the number was disconnected. I called my phone company, AT & T for help, and they gave me the number for Intgeratel, I contacted them and they transferred me over to The Billing Resource, now according to the woman that I spoke with, she informed me that my son signed up online for a $1,000.00 worth of free coupons, I found this hard to believe because he is 18 and could careless about coupons.
I told the woman that I could careless for the reason, the phone bill is in my name and I am the authorized person on there not my son. I told her that I wanted the charge off my phone and was told it would 1-2 billing cycles.
I also informed her that I planned on filing a formal complaint with the appropriate authorities and she did not like that one bit. Companies like this need to be stopped and our phone providers need to help more, I told the guy at AT & T if this is spamming they WHY does the phone company allow them to get through? He explained to me that for a 'charge' spamming could be prevented on my phone bill, I told him no thank you I pay enough already and that this type of protection should be free.
I told the woman that I could careless for the reason, the phone bill is in my name and I am the authorized person on there not my son. I told her that I wanted the charge off my phone and was told it would 1-2 billing cycles.
I also informed her that I planned on filing a formal complaint with the appropriate authorities and she did not like that one bit. Companies like this need to be stopped and our phone providers need to help more, I told the guy at AT & T if this is spamming they WHY does the phone company allow them to get through? He explained to me that for a 'charge' spamming could be prevented on my phone bill, I told him no thank you I pay enough already and that this type of protection should be free.
Comments
Some background:
http://mc-computing.com/Parasites/Integretel_ ... #References_edn
ripoffreport.com has numerous complaints against them. Just search on Integretel. See for example:
http://ripoffreport.com/reports/0/214/ripoff0214954.htm
Integretel has had numerous legal problems in the past. For example:
http://www.thedigest.com/more/146/146-255.html
They were under a settlement agreement to properly handle fraudulent billing, but even then their first line response appears to be to offer to discount 50%, or to stretch out refunds by requiring that forms be filled out, etc. In effect, they are stepping into the shoes of whatever "company" is submitting fraudulent charges thru them, attempting to pressure the consumer for payment, even though they claim they are just a third party billing agregator. On threat of criminal complaints they have been reported to cave. You might contact your state AG, and the Santa Clara County DA's Consumer Protection unit, since they are located in San Jose.
AT&T has a fraud department that is aware of this company's problems. Some of the AT&T first line customer service people are aware of this company, and may transfer you to AT&T's fraud department, but they might also just tell you you have to deal with it yourself. For example, in California, AT&T/(old SBC)'s fraud department was in northern California,
The Florida Attorney General recently reached a settlement with Verizon, ATT, and other telecoms over their failure to protect consumers from cramming schemes conducted thru "third party billing aggregators".
http://myfloridalegal.com/webfiles.nsf/WF/KGR ... T_Complaint.pdf
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2007/08/fyi07261.shtm
Final court decision:
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2004/09/verity.shtm
"After receiving hundreds of complaints from consumers billed by the company for videotext services, in the fall of 2000 the Commission charged VIL, its owners Robert Green and Marilyn Shein, and defendants Integretel, Inc., and eBillit, Inc., with defrauding U.S. consumers. The Commission later amended its complaint to add Automatic Communications, Ltd. (ACL), a corporation used by Green and Shein to bill consumers earlier in 2000. The court decision announced today resolves the charges against the defendants, who continue to be barred from engaging in similar deceptive practices."
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2002/11/integretel.shtm
"For Release: November 26, 2002
Companies That Billed Consumers for Adult "Videotext" Internet Services Settle FTC Charges
Integretel, Inc. and eBillit, Inc. Must Investigate Consumer Complaints About Unauthorized Billing; Will Release $1.6 Million in Previously Collected Funds
The Federal Trade Commission announced today that the federal district court for the Southern District of New York has approved an agreement between the Commission and a major billing aggregator and its subsidiary, settling charges brought by the FTC for their role in an alleged illegal scheme misusing the international telephone billing system to charge consumers for "videotext" services - Internet-based "adult" entertainment - that the consumers never purchased or authorized.
Through the scheme, thousands of consumers were billed an average of $127 apiece for services that they did not even know had been accessed through their phone lines. The charges for the videotext services were represented as international telephone calls to Madagascar, an island nation off the east coast of Africa. Under the terms of the settlement, the companies will waive any claim to $1.6 million in payments collected from consumers for these videotext services.
In addition, the defendants are barred from billing or collecting any charge based on electronic capture of a consumer's phone number through automatic number identification (ANI) - a system like Caller ID - when the defendants know or should have known that the line subscriber (the person responsible to pay charges billed to that phone number), or someone authorized by the line subscriber, did not authorize the charge. To help ensure that the companies are aware of charges that are not authorized, the companies also will be required to investigate consumer complaints about unauthorized billing in the future.
According to the Commission, Integretel, Inc. and eBillit, Inc. (the Integretel defendants) illegally billed thousands of consumers for "videotext" services. In many instances a consumer was completely unaware that charges had been incurred based on his or her phone number - charges that had been incurred by someone else who used the consumer's computer and phone line without permission. In addition, when consumers called the defendants' customer service number to dispute the bills, they were falsely told that the charges were valid and that they legally obligated to pay them.
...
Terms of the Final Order
Under the terms of the stipulated final order settling the charges, the Integretel defendants are barred from billing or collecting any charge that is based on ANI when they know or should have known that the line subscriber, or a person authorized by the line subscriber, did not authorize the charge. The order also will ensure that the Integretel defendants are unable to deny knowing such information, as it requires the defendants to obtain agreements from the vendors they bill specifying the minimum standards that must be applied in gaining the "express verifiable authorization" from line subscribers. In addition, the order requires the Integretel defendants to investigate and take appropriate action when complaints about unauthorized billing for any ANI-based charge for information or entertainment goods or services are made against a vendor and to forgive any ANI-based charge made to a consumer who files a declaration swearing that he or she did not authorize the charge.
Next, the order prohibits the Integretel defendants from misrepresenting any material fact, including, but not limited to the misrepresentations that were cited in the complaint. They also will release all claims to the $1.6 million consumers paid on the VIL bills, with the money transferred to an escrow account that the FTC will hold until the litigation against the remaining VIL defendants is concluded. Finally, the order contains provisions for compliance reporting, monitoring, and FTC access to the defendants' business premises as necessary.
..."
Integretel appears to be under an agreement to make sure such charges don't happen, to properly investigate consumer complaints about such charges, and to:
"... investigate and take appropriate action when complaints about unauthorized billing for any ANI-based charge for information or entertainment goods or services are made against a vendor and to forgive any ANI-based charge made to a consumer who files a declaration swearing that he or she did not authorize the charge."
It's really unacceptable!
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2008/03/cram.shtm
http://consumerist.com/370199/watch-out-for-cramming-on-your-phone-bill
"by davebg5 at 12:06 PM Reply by Email *
You don't know the half of it. I used to work for a company that did this. You know all of those banner ads that say "click here and win "? Those deals are often contingent upon you accepting (ie. paying for) certain offers. Many are subscription services for things like an 800 number/voice mail or discount shopping. When you are on these offer pages and filling out the form the user feels secure since they are not asking for a credit card. The user enters their personal information, including address, email and home phone number.
Well, should have read the fine print because this company is likely employing something called LEC (Local Exchange Carrier) billing. That means the subscription fees will appear on your home phone bill.
Now, these subscriptions/services must be activated via the email that they send out after submitting the form. Of course, there's nothing to stop someone from signing anyone else up for this stuff. You can sign up a phone number in your office or the neighbor down the street who lets their dog whiz on your lawn…all you need is the home phone and the address. As long as the 3-digit exchange on the phone number and the zip code match your application will likely be accepted.
You have no idea how many complaints this gets from people who have no idea where these charges came from. The company that I worked for had something like a 5% usage rate…in other words, people weren't using the services they were being charged for…likely because they didn't even know they wee signed up for said services. If anyone called to complain they'd be refunded because they don't want you contacting the phone company. You see, the phone company keeps track of complaints (as much as they love the $, they hate the complaints.) The company that I worked for actually kept track of the complaint levels for each phone carrier. When the numbers got too high we'd just reject everyone applying from that carrier until the complaints leveled off. Then we'd re-open the floodgates. It was a giant shell game."
by johnva at 12:18 PM Reply by Email * @davebg5: How is that not something that should be prosecuted under RICO statutes? "
"by davebg5 at 02:13 PM Reply by Email *
@johnva: Honestly, I couldn't say...I'm not an attorney and I was only there for eight months (once I really understood what was going on I started looking for another job.)
I can tell you that they were very concerned about not only complaints to the phone companies, but also to any state AG's office. I do know that the FL AG went after them at one point, but it seemed as if what they were doing was just shy of breaking the law.
They were raking it in hand over fist on these subscription products. I know because I processed the billing files every week. We're talking SEVEN FIGURES PER WEEK for products that cost them virtually nothing."