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Nebraska AG announces settlements for Verizon, Sprint users

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson says the state has reached settlements on behalf of Verizon Wireless and Sprint Corporation customers who were improperly billed.

Peterson said Tuesday that Nebraskans could qualify for refunds under the agreement.

Sprint and Verizon have agreed to pay $158 million as part of a national settlement. The companies were accused of placing charges for third-party services on customers' telephone bills, a practice known as "mobile cramming."

Consumers who have been crammed often have charges for "premium" text message services such as horoscopes, trivia and sports scores that they never requested. Typical charges were $9.99 per month.

The Nebraska Attorney General's office announced similar settlements with AT&T and T-Mobile in 2014.

Consumers can submit claims at www.SprintRefundPSMS.com or www.CFPBSettlementVerizon.com.

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