Families who rely on prepaid calling cards should beware of rip offs, Congresswoman Kathy Castor warned today in announcing she will champion the Calling Card Consumer Protection Act. The act will particularly protect folks in Hispanic communities who use calling cards from deceptive and fraudulent practices. The legislation was the subject of a hearing today held by the House Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection.

The legislation can be especially helpful to Hispanics. According to the Hispanic Institute, many Hispanics rely on prepaid calling cards to stay connected with relatives abroad. The Hispanic Institute has found, on average, calling cards deliver only 60 percent of the minutes they promise. The Hispanic Institute also has found that “fraudulent phone cards swindle Hispanics out of close to $1 million each day.”

“So many of our hard-working Spanish speaking neighbors depend on calling cards to stay connected with their family’s so far away, and for them to be scammed is simply unacceptable,” Castor said. “We will fix this problem.”

The legislation would require prepaid calling card providers and distributors to accurately, clearly and conspicuously disclose the number of available domestic and international minutes on the calling card; the dollar value of the card; the rate per minute; and information on any fees associated with the calling card. The Calling Card Consumer Protection Act also would require terms and conditions be disclosed in other languages if the card is advertised in other languages.