Some time ago, the phone companies came up with a feature that allowed merchants to reach a broader range of customers by allowing consumers to make payments via your phone bill. If you did not have a credit card, you just dialed a 900 number, connected by voice or modem (for Internet sites). Every minute you used the service, you were charged a fee ranging from $1 to $5 or more per minute. At months end, the charge appeared on the phone bill. Many services were legit Consumers called weather, horoscope and gambling services offering this feature. But many merchants sold expensive phone or online adult content.
