Scam Watch

The pitch: Call anywhere in the world, prepaid!

The scam: The Federal Trade Commission warns that some prepaid calling cards used to telephone foreign countries don’t deliver the minutes promised. Other complaints about the cards include hidden fees, bad connections, access numbers that are constantly busy and customer service lines that don’t work.

The charges: The federal agency recently charged Clifton Telecard Alliance -- a major distributor of phone cards used to call Mexico and other countries in Latin America, as well as Africa and other parts of the world -- with failing to provide the minutes advertised on cards. For example, the agency said a card designated for 40 minutes of talk time to El Salvador cut off after 27 minutes. And one for 30 minutes to Egypt quit after about 10 minutes. In charges filed in U.S. District Court in New Jersey, the agency said none of the 46 cards it bought in retail outlets worked for the full time advertised. Clifton executives could not be reached for comment.

Advice: The agency’s consumer warnings about prepaid cards are at www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/products/pro04.shtm.

Complaints: If you feel you were cheated by a prepaid phone card company, you can report it to the agency at (877) 382-4357.

-- David Colker