Sprint Files Second Privacy Fraud Suit

Sprint Nextel Monday said it has continued its assault on vendors that it claims fraudulently acquire subscriber information by filing a lawsuit against a private investigation firm.

The cellular operator said Monday that it has filed a lawsuit against All Star Investigations, claiming that the site uses several Web sites to fraudulently acquire and sell information, such as call details, of Sprint subscribers. The suit, filed in a Dade County, Florida court, claims that the firm uses "flagrant misrepresentation and deceitful practices," the company said in a statement.

The cellular operator filed a similar suit late last week against First Source Information Specialists. Like that earlier suit, Sprint is seeking both temporary and permanent injunctions against All Star Investigations.

"The schemes perpetrated by these online data brokers are intolerable and our intent is to put an end to these practices," Kent Nakamura, Sprint Nextel's chief privacy officer, said in a statement.

The company said it is continuing to investigate similar cases and that it is training its service agents to be on the lookout for service callers who falsely represent who they are.