Fans of cellular ringtones and the many other ways to personalize a cellular phone may be getting more than they bargain for when downloading free ringtones and free video clips. A recent lawsuit against Jamster, a subsidiary of Internet infrastructure provider VeriSign, alleges that the company uses the promise of free ringtones to lure customers, then sends numerous text messages advertising different free ringtones to the customer, but charges the customer for each message sent. Additionally, when the customer tries to cancel the service, the company charges them an early termination fee before recycling the phone number to a new mobile customer - with the service still attached. The new customer then finds himself inundated with and charged for the text messages when he never even ordered the service in the first place.

Ads for free ringtones make the process of cell phone personalization seem cool, fun, easy, and, most importantly, free. This can lead to all sorts of problems for the customer, especially when the customer is a parent whose teenager downloaded a bunch of cellular ringtones, thinking they were free ringones, and then got stuck with dozens of expensive text messages. Some ways to avoid getting stuck with a huge, unexpected cellular bill include:

1. When joining a mobile service or downloading a cellular ringtone, ask up front how much each service costs and ask about the details of each charge.
2. Make sure the terms of subscription are clear.
3. Find out how to unsubscribe and whether there is a charge for doing so.
4. Read the fine print. Make sure to approve the details of the plan before downloading anything.

Misleading advertising and hidden charges are not the only reason to be cautious about downloading free ringtones. It has now become possible to contract a mobile virus on a cellular phone, and many are transferred via cellular ringtones and free video clips. Some mobile viruses spread the same way as a computer virus when an infected program or file is downloaded, and users should be wary of downloading any free video clips or cellular ringtones from an unknown source. Other mobile viruses can spread to a clean phone just by being near another infected phone that has wireless transfer capabilities, such as Bluetooth technology.

Ways to avoid infecting a mobile phone with corrupted free video clips or cellular ringtones include:

1. Do not download or accept free video clips or cellular ringtones unless they are from a trusted source.
2. Do not open or download attachments from unknown sources.
3. Turn off Bluetooth or set it to non-discoverable mode when it's not in use.
4. Only allow phones equipped with Beam (or Infrared) to receive incoming beams from a trusted source.
5. Some mobile phones are capable of running antivirus software. Install it and keep it current for maximum protection.

Though the risk of contracting a cellular virus is currently not very high, it does exist, and with the rapid pace of technology it is expected to become more of a problem in the future. Taking precautions to avoid the hassles of a virus infection or a free ringtone scam can save a user not only money but hours of frustration and possible legal battles. When downloading anything to an electronic device, whether a free video clip or a free ringtone, erring on the side of caution is always best.