Mobile Messenger agrees to $1M content billing settlement

Mobile entertainment provider Mobile Messenger is the latest firm to run afoul of Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum's crusade against unauthorized mobile data charges. McCollum's office announced a $1 million settlement with Mobile Messenger following charges the company's online offers violated Florida's consumer protection laws. According to the charges, Mobile Messenger's advertising failed to properly disclose the true cost for its mobile horoscopes, flirting tips and related text subscription services. Per terms of the settlement negotiated by the AG's CyberFraud division, Mobile Messenger must clearly and specifically disclose all fees related to its mobile content services on all online transaction screens: "Every time mobile content is purchased, the person making that purchase deserves to know what he or she is getting and will ultimately end up paying," McCollum said in a prepared statement.

Mobile Messenger is no stranger to legal inquiries into its business practices. In August 2008, law firm KamberEdelson, LLC announced a settlement with the company after filing a class action suit alleging Mobile Messenger failed to install adequate safeguards to ensure customers are only billed for services they agreed to purchase. The settlement entitles wireless subscribers across the country to receive refunds for unauthorized charges--class members are encouraged to visit www.CellPhoneDownloads.Class-Action-Admin.com to learn more details about the settlement and how to apply for refunds. Mobile Messenger denied any wrongful conduct.

For more on Mobile Messenger's settlement with the Florida AG:
- read this Cellular-News article

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