The lawsuits charge the companies have placed unauthorized charges on thousands of consumers’ telephone bills for products and services they did not purchase, want, or use.

Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster has filed consumer fraud suits against six nationwide companies he says have been 'cramming' consumers' telephone bills.

Cramming is the practice of placing charges on a phone bill without the consumer's consent. Named in Koster's lawsuit are:

• Coast to Coast Voice of Concord, N.H.
• Green Certification of Miami, Fla.
• Family Contact 911 of Clearwater, Fla.
• SBO Online of Los Angeles, Calif.
• Odyssey Communications of Tenafly, N.J.
• ID Life Guards, Inc. of Glendale, Calif.

“Telephone cramming costs Missouri consumers tens of thousands of dollars each year and something must be done to stop this abuse,” Koster said. “Disregard for the consumer protection laws and regulations of the state of Missouri will not be tolerated.”