Press Release: Consumers: 70% of ringtone-scam websites cleaned following EU investigation

70% of websites investigated for mis-selling ringtones, wallpapers and other mobile phone services have been corrected or closed, following an 18 month EU consumer crackdown carried out by 27 Member States, Norway and Iceland. Since June 2008, when initial checks took place, 301 websites were investigated by national enforcement authorities for serious breaches of EU consumer law. 70% of the 301 cases investigated, have now been resolved. 52% (159 websites) have been corrected and 17% (54 websites) have closed. The three main problems found were: unclear pricing (for example, information was missing or incomplete); failure to provide complete trader information; and misleading advertising, in particular, advertising ringtones as 'free' where the consumer is in fact tied into a paying subscription. In Italy, in February and May enforcement authorities, as a result of the sweep, imposed large fines of around 2 million Euro on 9 major companies found to be in breach of the law.

European Commission: MEMO/09/505: EU clean-up on ringtone scams. Frequently Asked Questions http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/09/505&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

EurActiv, 18.11.09: Websites fined in EU ringtone scam sweep http://www.euractiv.com/en/infosociety/websites-fined-eu-ringtone-scam-sweep/article-187410

European Commission: SPEECH/09/536: Ringtone sweep wrap up http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/09/536&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

---