I-Team: 'Food stamp' cell phones being sold illegally | Turn to 10

I-Team: Illegal Cell Phone Sale (Added: October 25, 2012)

The NBC 10 I-Team finds an ad on Craigslist posted by someone who was illegally selling a so-called food stamp cell phone. (more)

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The NBC 10 I-Team recently noticed an ad on Craigslist posted by someone who was illegally selling a so-called food stamp cell phone.

A federal law passed years ago allows anyone on any type of public assistance program to get a free or subsidized cell phone, which is paid for by all of us with a special "universal service fee" charge on our phone bills.

The I-Team's hidden camera producer called the number in the Craigslist ad and went to the address in Providence to get the phone.

When the I-Team tried to get some answers from the man who sold us the phone, he was nowhere to be found.

NBC 10's undercover producer paid just $10 for the food stamp cell phone. Selling the phones, which are meant to help those on welfare get jobs and communicate in this high-tech world, is illegal.

This abuse costs all of us more than $1 billion a year.

In May, the I-Team revealed how several residents in Woonsocket were able to get two, three and sometimes four food stamp cell phones, even though those on public assistance are limited to one cell phone per recipient household.

Starting next year, the Federal Communications Commission will have a program in place to crack down on duplicate food stamp cell phones.

"What the Federal Communications Commission has asked is that each company make sure there are no duplicates of service intra-company," said Tom Kogut, a spokesman for the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission.

But the new program won't do much to stop the selling of the subsidized phones, and all of us will keep on subsidizing them with those extra charges on our phone bills.

Source: http://www2.turnto10.com/news/2012/oct/25/i-team-food-stamp-cell-phones-being-sold-illegally-ar-1217356/

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