Chairman of European Parliament Consumer Protection Committee Welcoms Huge Drop in Complaints about Phoney Ring Tones Following EU-Wide Sweep
Brussels, 17th November 2009
Brussels 17 November 2009. The Chairman of the European Parliament's Consumer Protection Committee Malcolm Harbour MEP today welcomed the European Commissions crackdown on mobile phone scams that have seen complaints in the UK drop by 60%.
The scams ranged from unclear pricing, failure to provide complete trader information and misleading advertising, such as 'free' ring tones when consumers were tied into a subscription service.
In a statement the Conservative MEP said,
"This is very welcome news. Children and teenagers are particularly susceptible to these scams and often amass big bills on the back of 'free' services.
"The sweep by the Commission, when taken in conjunction with the follow-on work carried out by national regulators have seen massive drops in reported complaints about mobile phone scams and ring tone scams in particular.
"Consumer protection is an area of EU policy that is making a massive difference towards improving consumer confidence and ensuring people don't get ripped off."
Contact: Malcolm on +32 (0)2 2284 5132
ECR Press Office: Alex Benjamin +32 (0)476 056 450
