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Pre-paid telephone cards may seem like a great deal, or even a good gift idea this holiday season.� But the Florida Public Service Commission is warning against scams.� As Chris Casquejo explains, you need to look closely at the back of the cards to make sure you�re getting what you pay for.

Hear it here: Avoid Pre-Paid Phone Card Scams

Pre-paid phone cards are a hot item at Hispanic market La Tiendita, which sells 50 to 100 of the cards a day.

�Most of them come here just to buy them and call for two hours to their families,” said Rafael Marte, the store’s co-owner.� “It costs them $2 some of them.� It costs them $5 some of them.� They go up to 12 hours some of the cards.�

But the Florida Public Service Commission warns that some of the cards might not deliver what they advertise.� The agency conducted a random check of 10 different brands.

�We found some of them didn�t even work at all,” said Kirsten Olsen, with the PSC.� “Some of them, the access number was continually busy.� Some of them had additional fees that weren�t disclosed.� Or they had different fees than what the consumer could expect.�

When you buy a pre-paid phone card, make sure that it has a working toll-free number on the back.� That way, you have somebody to call if you have any problems.

Another tip, check closely for any connection or disconnection fees.� Also, find out what it costs to call different countries.� Rafael Marte is confident the phone cards that he stocks are reliable.

�I buy the cards because people are asking for specific names,” he said.� “They are loyal.�

The bottom line, taking a few minutes out of your time to read the fine print could save you a lot of money.

For more tips on using pre-paid phone cards, go the Public Service Commission�s website at www.floridapsc.com.� Or you can call the consumer line at 1-800-342-3552.�