I must admit every once in awhile you read about a creative way that some government entity has come up with to line their coffers, but this seems to be unique. The Washington DC Attorney General is suing AT&T for all of the unused minutes left behind by consumers who have not used the entire amount on their prepaid calling cards. The claim is that this is unclaimed property and belongs to the district, if the calling card user was a resident at the time the calling card was purchased.

In a recent article it further states that:

According to the attorney general’s office, that sum, known in the industry as “breakage,” represents some 5 to 20 percent of the total balances purchased by consumers who use the calling cards.

States and municipalities have often similarly used unclaimed property laws, known as escheat laws, to claim ownership of unused retail gift card balances.

A spokesman for AT&T declined to comment on the lawsuit.

One would think that the monies for the unused minutes should be returned to the users. But this is what makes this claim unique. DC wants to keep the money for themselves. Great thinking and one that may be copied by other jurisdictions. I was just thinking about the gift cards that are not fully used. That would also be a great source of revenue.

You have to love it when anyone can stick it to corporate America.

Comments welcome.

Source.