With at least 11 weeks of the popular TV show's current season left, "American Idol" fans should beware of a call-in voting scam that claimed at least 25,000 victims during the show's 2002-2003 season.
The Federal Trade Commission last week filed complaints against several Utah-based defendants for taking advantage of "Idol" call-in voters by buying phone numbers that were very close to – but not the same as – the correct numbers (i.e., an 800 prefix instead of the 866 prefix or a switch in two of the digits (1-866-463-5701 instead of 1-866-436-5701)) and that routed the callers to the defendants’ own toll-free lines. The callers were then allegedly led to believe that they had to call a 900 number to actually place their vote, and that they had to pay a fee ranging from $1.99 to $2.97 per call.
The callers were unable to place their votes through the 900 number, as the defendants were not affiliated in any way with the “American Idol” program. All that defendants provided when the consumer dialed the 900 number was a recitation of the same toll-free numbers that consumers could have called directly to reach the actual “American Idol” voting lines. Under a settlement reached with the FTC, the defendants will pay a civil penalty of $40,000.
The FTC's complaints were filed against: Telemarketing, Inc., a Utah corporation, also doing business as Univoxx; Apex Investments, LLC, a Utah corporation, d.b.a Operator Directory Service and Northwestern Atlantic; Universal Innovations, LLC, a Utah corporation; Thomas Gregory Parrish, individually and as an officer of Telemarketing, Inc.; Sean K. Angeletti, individually and as an officer of Telemarketing, Inc.; and John P. Starrs, individually.
"These defendants tried to mislead fans of ‘American Idol,’ but found they got harsh reviews from the FTC," said Howard Beales, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. "If you find suspicious pay-per-call charges on your phone bill, report it to the FTC. We are not fans of deceptive behavior."
According to the FTC’s complaint, the defendants deceptively took advantage of consumers who were attempting to call "American Idol" to cast their vote for a particular contestant. Each night of the competition, toll-free numbers for the official "American Idol" voting lines appeared on-screen and were announced during the program. To vote properly, a caller would dial the American Idol toll-free number, choosing the last one or two digits assigned to the favored contestant.
Although the numbers were announced during the show, callers could dial in to vote only after the program had ended. Because of the time gap between when the numbers were announced and the voting began, consumers had to rely on memory or written notes to vote correctly. If the consumer misdialed, he or she could inadvertently call defendants’ toll-free “copycat” numbers rather than the American Idol voting lines.
Consumers who accidentally called the defendants’ copycat toll-free lines during "American Idol’s" 2002 and 2003 seasons heard one of four distinct recorded messages. Three of the four urged them to call a 900-number to reach "voting lines" or "favorite contestants." Those who called the 900 number as instructed did not, however, reach a "voting line." Instead, they merely were provided with the correct "American Idol" phone number associated with their favorite contestant. The consumer was never directly connected to the actual voting line and had to hang up and redial the correct number to cast a vote. A fourth version of the toll-free message omitted explicit reference to voting lines, but retained language implying that calling the 900-number was necessary to be sure their call would be completed and that the caller would correctly reach the party he or she was calling — inevitably, "American Idol."
[Source: Federal Trade Commission]
