Ringtone Scams - Free Ringtones Scams
Some companies, unfortunately, do run ringtone scams. Many of the operators in the business right now are legitimate companies offering a legitimate product at a legitimate price, but some people and companies in the ringtone industry are running what has become known as "free ringtones scams." You should know how to identify and avoid such scams, especially if you're new to the whole cell phone and ringtone scene.
Free and Peer to Peer Ringtone Scams
Sometimes free ringtone websites are best avoided. Many of these "free ringtone sites" offer ringtones that are uploaded by the members of the communities. It's relatively easy for a hacker to upload a ringtone that includes a virus or a trojan, and that's not something you want on your cell phone. Remember, if it sound too good to be true, then it probably is. Viruses can not only ruin the performance of your machinery, but it can also steal information you'd probably rather keep private.
Another name for these kinds of free ringtone websites is a "peer to peer"
ringtone sharing site. These communities aren't well-policed enough to make the
risk of getting something free worthwhile. Especially when you consider that you
could probably just buy a ringtone for a couple of bucks somewhere. Why risk
getting a virus?
Reputable Ringtone Companies
Sticking with reputable ringtone services and companies can be an effect way to avoid fraud in the ringtone industry. Companies like Apple and Verizon are going to be much less likely to be willing to get involved in a ringtone hoax than some company you've never heard of. And if they do show a lapse in judgment, you're more likely to get something out of a major company like Apple in a class action lawsuit than from some fly-by-night ringtone company that never had any funding to begin with.
Ringtone Commercials
Ringtone commercials can sometimes be persuasive, and they'll claim that if you send a particular message to a particular number, you'll get free ringtones. Just keep repeating this mantra to yourself, "There's no such thing as a free lunch." This applies to ringtones as well as anything else. Many times the sending of that text message to that number commits you to a membership or a subscription that you're unclear of the terms of.
Ringtone Subscription Frauds
Many times the best way to avoid getting scammed by a ringtone company is to just completely avoid the subscription option altogether. Try to find a company which will charge you a flat fee for a single ringtone, then pick out a single ringtone that you really want. If you must, but a few ringtones, but pay for them each individually, even though you'd pay less by signing up for the subscription. In the long run, you'll wind up buying multiple months' worth of the subscription just because it's so easy to forget to cancel. The path of least resistance isn't really fraud, but it's still going to cost you money.
Ringtone Site Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Pages
Always read the terms and conditions of a ringtone service closely. If you don't understand one of the terms, don't sign up. If you can't find the terms and conditions of a ringtone service easily, then run away as fast as you can. Terms and conditions for ringtone services should be easy to find and easy to understand. If the T&C aren't both, then you should do business with someone else who does offer easily found and easily understood terms and conditions.
Another potential ringtone scam is related to your privacy. Do you want to keep your name private? Do you want to keep your cell phone number private? Do you want to keep your email address private? To do so, then you need to be careful of who you do business with on the Internet. Most websites provide privacy policy pages now which explain in detail what the business behind the site intends to do with private information like your name, your cell phone number, and your email address. If they don't post a privacy policy, don't give them any of your private information.
Ringtone Fraud and Parents
Parents should pay particularly close attention to some of the ringtone fraud avoidance tips in this article. Not because parents are easier to scam than other people, but because they need to advise their children how to avoid scams and frauds. Children, even seemingly precocious and mature teens, are more susceptible to scams and frauds than adults. So be sure to pay close attention to what you teach them about ringtone services.
It's easy to find parents saying things like, "My daughter had $30 in extra charges on her cell phone from various companies last month." Mother and fathers could easily avoid having victims for children if they would take the time to educate them on how to avoid scams, frauds, and hoaxes of every kind, not just of the ringtone variety.
The Foolproof Way to Avoid Ringtone Scams
And remember that your cell phone already comes with a ringtone when you buy it. If you learn to be satisfied with the default ringtone, then you'll never have to be worried about getting scammed. As long as it's loud enough to alert you to the call that's coming in, then the ringtone you already have is probably good enough. That's the frugal consumer in me talking, but it's worth thinking about. Minimalism and frugality are as trendy as any hot ringtone.