Peel Inc., Accused of Free Trial Scam, Shut Down by Illinois Attorney General

A notorious online marketing scam that billed the credit and debit cards of thousands of unsuspecting consumers without their approval has been shut down by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan.

The company, Peel Inc., was sued by Madigan in February 2010, for "cramming" consumers' credit cards with unauthorized charges for supposedly "free trial" offers for a range of products, including coffee, posters and jewelry.

Cramming involves the intentional insertion of unauthorized, misleading or deceptive charges, and as Consumer Ally recently reported, the Senate Commerce Committee is investigating cramming on phone bills by major telecommunications companies.