It’s not often we hear news regarding U.S. carriers that stirs a sense of pride, or happiness. Today, however, all four major carriers in the States have announced plans to drop premium text service billing. The aim is predominantly to combat fraud. Some of you will no doubt have experience premium messaging scams, where you’re charged an extortionate fee just to receive a specific message from a premium number, or for replying to one.
This new act from the “Big Four” will go incredibly far to combat the issue, known as “cramming”.
Vermont Attorney General, Bill Sorrell stated (before Verizon confirmed it would be joining):
“We are pleased that AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile have decided to stop the flow of money from the pockets of ordinary people to the bank accounts of scam artists. We’re hopeful the other carriers will soon follow their lead.”
If you like to donate to charities using text-to-donate services, or voting on TV shows like American Idol by text, don’t worry. These services will still be allowed. T-Mobile published a handy FAQ section on its blog earlier:
