• December 22, 2008

Ringtone marketer Media Breakaway has agreed to pay $1 million to settle a fraud investigation by Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum.

Media Breakaway, based in Denver, allegedly ran Web ads promising "free" ringtones and other mobile content, but then enrolled consumers who accepted the offer in paid subscription programs, according to McCollum's office.

"A large number of CyberFraud complaints led to a widespread investigation over the past several months which revealed thousands of Florida consumers had received these charges on their cell phone bills for mobile content downloads that they neither desired nor authorized," the Florida Attorney General's office said in a statement.

Media Breakaway agreed it will conspicuously disclose all prices of mobile content in all online ads going forward.--Wendy Davis