McCollum
TALLAHASSE, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum has reached a $1 million settlement with a California-based mobile content marketer.
Mobile Messenger Americas will pay the amount to settle allegations that it was signing customers up for its monthly subscriptions without them knowing. A large number of complaints, McCollum said, sparked his investigation into the mobile content industry.
Mobile Messenger provides subscription text products for cell phones.
"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. "These compliance standards are leading the nation in reigning in the mobile content industry and holding all parties accountable.
Those compliance standards require specific disclosure of pricing and subscription terms in the online marketing of mobile content. The prices of all cell phone content or services must be disclosed on all online transactions screens.
The agreement was negotiated by McCollum's CyberFraud section of the Economic Crimes Division.
The $1 million will be used to fund more CyberFraud investigations and other consumer protection services, McCollum said.
From Legal Newsline: Reach John O'Brien by e-mail at john@legalnewsline.com.