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Lots of prepaid calling minutes for few bucks? Don’t be fooled

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it had halted the deceptive advertising claims of a company misrepresenting the number of minutes allowed on its prepaid cards. The fees were not disclosed to customers prior to purchase and the cards were primarily marketed to immigrant communities.

Using names such as "Beautiful Asia," "Vietnam Best," and "Pearls of Africa," DR Phone Communications sold the prepaid cards in convenience stores, grocery stores, and small kiosks across the United States. The company sells billions of dollars worth of cards a year, many of them to immigrants who depend on them to call friends and family in other countries.

The FTC's complaint against the company says that 100 percent of the cards they tested failed to deliver the number of minutes advertised.

To learn more, read the complaint filed by the FTC against DR Phone Communications

To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC's online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357).