What’s in your monthly telephone bill–perhaps a mysterious fee for an unknown service from a company you’ve never heard of? The Federal Communication Commission is weighing new options to help consumers fight the war on “cramming”: when a company adds a charge to your phone bill for a service you didn’t order, agree to, or use.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said on Monday that roughly 20 million Americans are victimized annually by unscrupulous companies which illegally stuff consumer bills with these unauthorized, cryptic charges. And just around 5 percent of those consumers are aware they’re being bilked. One example cited by the FCC: A woman in St. Louis who was charged for 25 months of long-distance calling, which she never signed up for.

Said Genachowski:

We’ve seen people getting charges for yoga classes, cosmetics, diet products, and, yes, psychic hotline memberships.These mystery fees are often buried in bills that can run 20 or so pages, and they are labeled with hard-to-decipher descriptions like U-S-B-I.

Although specifics about the new anti-cramming actions weren’t released, the FCC acknowledged that they would focus on transparency and disclosure for consumers. And much like its moves to counter cell phone “bill shock,” the FCC’s crackdown on cramming is part of the agency’s efforts to focus on consumer protection issues.

The FCC has issued a tip sheet (PDF) to help consumers understand and combat cramming. The best defense against cramming scams: Read your monthly bills carefully!

Have you been a victim of cramming? What’s the most outrageous charge you’ve seen on your monthly phone bill, and how did you fight it? Weigh in below.

Chairman Unveils New Actions to Prevent Cramming

Cramming background (PDF)

Cramming information at a glance (PDF)

Cramming tip sheet for consumers

FCC aims to dissuade unauthorized phone fees

FCC warning: Watch out for mystery phone charges

FCC Will Weigh Phone-Fee Rules

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