Media Breakaway Settles $1M Cyberfraud Suit
ADOTAS – Media Breakaway has settled a $1 million cyberfraud suit in Florida, the state’s attorney general, Bill McCollum has announced. Media Breakaway markets mobile content for cell phones.
The company and its affiliates will be required to comply with the attorney general’s guidelines on clear and conspicuous disclosure of material items in the online marketing of mobile content.
The settlement “will benefit Florida consumers and cell phone users nationwide,” said Attorney General McCollum. “These compliance guidelines will help ensure meaningful disclosure so that all consumers, including minors, fully understand what they are purchasing.”
The AG office asserts that Media Breakaway provides mobile content, usually ringtones or wallpaper for an individual’s cell phone, marketed by internet advertising, which often failed to clearly and conspicuously describe the prices and terms of service. The mobile content, described as “free” or “complimentary,” usually resulted in a consumer unwittingly being signed up for costly monthly subscriptions. A large number of CyberFraud complaints led to a widespread investigation over the past several months which revealed thousands of Florida consumers had received these charges on their cell phone bills for mobile content downloads that they neither desired nor authorized.
The new agreement requires that the price of cell phone content or services and other material terms of purchase be conspicuously and specifically disclosed on all online transaction screens. In addition to the new injunctive standard, the agreement also provides for a payment of $1 million to the Attorney General’s Office to be used to fund additional investigations into CyberFraud and to further CyberSafety education.
– Express your opinion, comment below.
Reader Comments.
No comments yet
Leave a Comment
Article Sponsor
More News
-
Loading ...
Latest News
- Funding in Brief: $10M for Spongecell, $8M for Prolexic February 9th 2012 ADOTAS – Rich media ad company Spongecell has raised $10 million [...] more »
- Google AdMob Axes Minimum Bids, Targeting Fees February 9th 2012 ADOTAS - As of Feb. 15, Google will change its [...] more »
- Infographic: HootSuite Analyses Social Media Impact of Super Bowl Ads February 7th 2012 ADOTAS - So, it’s the Tuesday after the Super Bowl, [...] more »
- Facebook to Serve Mobile Ads in Coming Weeks February 6th 2012 ADOTAS – According to a Financial Times report, Facebook will [...] more »
- Survey: 39 Percent of Mobile Users Responded to Super Bowl Ads Via Mobile February 6th 2012 ADOTAS - During the Super Bowl yesterday, mobile ad network [...] more »
- Sponsormob Leads the Way Into RTB for Mobile February 3rd 2012 ADOTAS – For more than half a decade, Berlin-based tech [...] more »
- Weird Study: Mobile Purchasing While in the Bathroom on the Rise February 3rd 2012 DM CONFIDENTIAL - According to 11mark, three-quarters of Americans with mobile [...] more »
Features
- Attribution Online: Introducers and Influencers and Closers… Oh My! February 9th 2012
- With gTLDs, Global Branding Starts with a Name February 9th 2012
- Rethinking the Online Advertising Ecosystem, Part One: Independent Publishers February 8th 2012
- Case Study: Social Ad Effectiveness February 8th 2012
- Video: “Build an SEO Foundation” Excerpt February 8th 2012
Spotlight
Sponsormob Leads the Way Into RTB for MobileADOTAS – For more than half a decade, Berlin-based tech firm Sponsormob has remained relevant in an industry characterized by [...] more...
Reader Favorites
Classifieds
- PS Technical Writer - SEO Data Analyst
- Interactive Project Manager
- Media Buyer
- PHP Software Engineer (Facebook Platform/Social AP
- SEO/Marketing Internship at Green Education Startu
Recent Comments
- News about Google Adwords issue #412: [...] ads for AdWords to adCenter and align with industry standards, adCenter has chang
- VB: What exactly makes an ad "high quality"?
- Survey: 39 Percent of Mobile Users Responded to Super Bowl Ads Via Mobile - ADOTAS | Mobile2 | Scoop.it: [...] background-position: 50% 0px; background-color:#222222; background-repeat : no-repeat; }
- Mobile Marketing News: [...] Survey: 39 Percent of Mobile Users Responded to Super Bowl Ads Via Mobile Meanwhile,
