According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Sprint Corp S 0.21% and Verizon Communications Inc. VZ 0.22% have agreed to pay $158 million for their role in alleged illegal third-party billing of their customers. The process, known as “cramming” cost customers millions of dollars over the decade spanning from 2004 to 2013.

What Is Cramming?

According to the CFPB, cramming worked like this: customers were targeted online via ads asking them to enter their cell phone number in exchange for free products or services. One customers entered their number, their accounts were charged without the customers’ consent. Often times, customers never even received the goods or services promised.

According to the CFPB, Verizon and Sprint received as much as 40 percent of the cut from…

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