Internet use prompts shocking phone bill

Manchester, England -- A 34-year-old British man says he was unaware he was running up a nearly $63,000 cell phone bill by watching an online TV show on his mobile phone.

Information technology consultant Iayn Dobsyn said he was shocked when he saw how much it had cost him to watch an online episode of the series "Prison Break" through his phone's Internet connection while on vacation in Portugal, The Daily Telegraph said Friday.

"The original figures looked like they had come down from the moon," said Dobsyn, who lives in the British city of Manchester. "I just laughed. There had to be some mistake."

The Telegraph said after contacting a legal firm, Dobsyn was able to reduce the jaw-dropping bill to nearly $458. A lawyer told the newspaper Dobsyn's plight was indicative of the need to thoroughly read cell phone contracts.

"This highlights the importance of taking legal advice in disputed debt cases, but we would advise everyone to check the small print on their mobile phone contracts to avoid being overly charged," Farleys Solicitors LLP official Danielle Mestraud said.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.