For information, you don't need to use your cell-phone to get scammed. Buying a new cell phone may get you charged $9.99 per month (or more when you get multiple subscriptions) to Predicto because the cell phone number you get is a 'recycled' phone number.
'Recycled' phone number means that your new cell-phone number previously belonged to a subscriber who for any reasons (moving or avoiding Predicto Scam) decided to drop her old phone number. ‘Recycled’ cell phone numbers may have lot of contracts attached to them.
Usually cell phone companies send lists of these cell phones to providers like Predicto to clear them from any contracts.
A class action was filed on 09/17/2009 against Predicto Mobile LLC in the Eastern District of Michigan (http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/09/18/Alltel2.pdf) for charging new cell-phone users and ignoring the lists sent by Alltell (Cell-phone company) who send Predicto updated lists of 'recycled' phones to clear from any contracts.
According to the document, Predicto just ignored lists of canceled cell-phones provided by Alltel but also Verizon, T-mobile, Sprint, and others cell-phone providers.
Predicto just transferred old subscribers bills to new subscribers: it's simmple and it’s their way to do business.
To my understanding any subscriber who subscribed to any cell-phone company who has a Predicto contract dated before the date their cell-phone contract started is entitled to a full refund including past due interests.
Hundreds of thousands subscribers are affected.
More information at http://news.findlaw.com/andrews/bt/tel/20090922/20090922_pratt.html
A new class action needs to be prepared for actual unauthorized billing without previous contract on cell-phone. We may have to hurry as I do not know if there will be enough money left to pay us back.
Please check old people bill as well as kids bills: look for $9.99 Premium text messaging in your detailed bills.
Please spread the words and the links.