The Associated Press reports that AT&T Mobility, the nation's largest cell phone carrier, has agreed to pay thousands of Florida consumers who were billed for third-party services such as ringtones and text messaging that were advertised as free.

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum said that "the main culprits are third-party companies that advertise ringtones and other services on the Internet, often promising that the service will be free. When customers - often teenagers - sign up, they or their parents are then surprised to find charges on their wireless bill."

The report said that AT&T Mobility has agreed in the settlement to police such agreements with third-party providers and make it clear what the charges are for. Remember that data charges still apply even with "free" ringtones and messaging services—so if you don't have an unlimited data plan, you'll still get nicked for the data fees.