Understanding Telephone Scams:
Slamming and Cramming

What is slamming?

Slamming is the illegal practice of changing your local or long distance telephone service without your permission.  Before a telephone company can switch a customer, it must obtain the customer’s permission through a written or electronic letter of agency, an electronic verification from the customer’s telephone number, or an independent third party verification.

What is Cramming?

Cramming is the illegal practice of adding charges to your telephone bill for services that you did not order.

What can I do if I discover that I have been slammed?

Contact the company you believe slammed you, and tell them that you want the problem resolved.  If you have not paid the bill, tell the company you will not pay the first 30 days charges after the date on which you were slammed, and request reimbursement for any charges you may have incurred from your local phone company for the unwanted switch.

Ask your local phone company to make sure you are switched back to their service. If your long distance was slammed,  ask your local phone company to switch you back to the long distance company of your choice. They can also remove any disputed charges from the slamming carrier. Once you have been switched back, check into whether or not your local phone company can put a freeze on your local or long distance account to help prevent future slamming.

Contact your authorized phone company. Tell them you were slammed and want to be restored to your original calling plan and you want switching fees removed from your bill.

If you have already paid the bill for the calls that were slammed, ask your phone company how much credit you will be receiving.

Will I have to pay for disputed charges that result from slamming?

You do not have to pay for service up to 30 days after being slammed if you have not paid your bill. This means you do not have to pay either your authorized telephone company or the slamming company.

If you have paid the unauthorized phone company, your authorized company will either credit you 50 percent of the  charges you paid the slammer or, if you prefer, rerate the charges based on its rates.

Can I register a complaint against the company that slammed me?

Yes, you can register a complaint against the company you believe has slammed you. To do so, contact the PUCO: 

By Phone: Toll-free Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at (800) 686-PUCO (7826) or (800) 686-1750 (TDD/TTY).

By Mail:
Public Utilities Commission of Ohio
Attn: IAD
180 E. Broad St.
Columbus, OH 43215-3793

What types of charges can be crammed onto my telephone bill?

Cramming charges can be almost anything, but usually involve some type of telecommunications-related service. These services may include, but are not limited to, non-regulated services such as voice mail, personal 800 numbers, paging service, and pay-per-use ("900") calls. Services such as these are separate and distinct from your regulated local and long distance telephone service. Cramming may also include regulated local telephone service features such as call waiting or caller I.D., which are offered by your local phone company.

Will I have to pay for disputed charges that result from cramming?

If you find charges on your bill for services which you believe you did not order, contact your local phone company and ask that the charges be removed.

Your local phone service cannot be disconnected for non-payment of crammed charges for unregulated services. Your local service may only be interrupted if charges for regulated local phone service are past due. If the cramming charges are for regulated service features offered by your local phone company, your phone service may be disconnected if the charges are not paid or placed in dispute.

What can I do to avoid beingslammed or crammed?

• While there is no foolproof way to guarantee you will not be a slamming or cramming victim, there are steps you can take to protect yourself:
• Examine your monthly bill and make sure you understand every charge. Look for unfamiliar company names, calls you did not make, or services you did not order. If anything is unclear or there is a company name you have not seen before, call your local phone company for an explanation. Telephone companies must clearly highlight a change in telephone service providers.
• Keep a note pad by the telephone and write down each phone service (e.g., voice mail) that you authorize, as well as any long distance  calls and calls to informational or "900" services.
• Be careful of "activation codes" or answering "yes" to questions that may  be intended to get you to authorize a service that you do not intend to authorize. Read fine print carefully.
• Be sure you know who has been using your telephone.
• Request appropriate blocking features such as a "900" call block, collect call block, or international call block.
• Ask telemarketers for written information about any service they offer you over the phone.