If you open your phone bill and find an unusual charge for long distance or other services, chances are you have been ”slammed” or ”crammed.”

Slamming occurs when a company changes or adds long-distance services to your bill without your permission.

Cramming occurs when a company puts charges and services on phone bills that have never been ordered, authorized, received or used. It can be a one-time or monthly charge. Sometimes these charges are part of a contest or sweepstake scam.

In the last three years, consumers made 790 complaints about slamming and 864 complaints about cramming, according to the Oregon Department of Justice.

”It doesn’t seem to be too bad now in Oregon,” said Clark Jackson, program manager for consumer services at the Oregon Public Utility Commission (OPUC). OPUC handles complaints about slamming and the Department of Justice handles complaints about cramming.

Consumers can report complaints about cramming by calling toll free 1-877-877-9392. Complaints can be made online under the consumer protection section of the Department of Justice’s Web site at www.doj.state.or.us.

Consumers can report incidents of slamming to OPUC by calling toll free 1-800-522-2404.

Complaints can also be made online under the consumer information section of the OPUC Web site at www.puc.state.or.us.

Victims of slamming must correct the matter with the telephone company that provides basic service, the long-distance company that did the slamming and the chosen long distance provider, Jackson said.

Cathy Carroll can be reached at 541-383-0304 or at ccarroll@bendbulletin.com.