Erika Anders, is a Cingular Wireless Subscriber but wants to discontinue her subscription with her provider because she has recently purchased a new mobile phone and plan from Sprint. Just like any other customer, she called Cingular to inquire of her plan's expiration date.

A customer representative informed her that she would have to pay $175 as early termination fee if she cancels the plan before March 28. So instead of terminating her plan, she requested for a change of plan instead until she can formally cancel her subscription.

On January 8, she dropped her password-protected phones in the recycle bin at the Best Buy store in Northway Mall, with an intention of disposing of it "in an environmentally friendly matter."

But to her surprise, when she called Cingular to terminate her plan, she was informed that she racked up a phone bill of $20,590.67, with phone calls to Brazil taking up most of the bulk.

After filing a police report at her hometown in McCandles, sending numerous letters of complaints to letter to Cingular's fraud department (all of which were ignored) and personally dropping by Best Buy to speak to the manager (which got her nowhere either), she enlisted the help Lawrence Walsh, Post-Gazette Staff Writer.

He visited the recycle bin where Anders deposited her mobile. And to his shock, it is between two sets of automatic doors and against a wall. Anyone could push open the lid, reach inside and walk out with a cell phone, rechargeable batteries or printer cartridges. When he asked to speak to the manager, he was told that he was in a lengthy phone call. Moments later, he received an anonymous page referring him to corporate headquarters.

Walsh contacted Barbara Petito, a spokeswoman for the consumer protection bureau, who spoke with Cingular officials and asked for the bill to be waived. Cingular officials indicated that they would.

Although, Anders have breathed a sigh of relief, not all situations may end up like this. So just take every precaution necessary so you won't be a victim of such fraud. Petito and Cingular spokesman Jim Orso advised consumers not to recycle their cell phones until they terminate their calling plans and do so only in a secured recycle container.