The following are examples of fraud in the VRS industry–these are examples of manufactured minutes–minutes that are being billed which should not be billed:

1. Extending a call when it ends to generate more minutes. A call stops billing when the hearing person or the deaf person hangs up.

2. Doing surveys for a VRS company using deaf people working for a relay company surveying hearing people with a VI. (video interpreter)

3. Using privacy screens during an active call in process (except for voice-carry over situations)–this prevents the interpreter from knowing whether the deaf and hard-of-hearing person is participating in a call.

4. Processing calls in the same location – this is explicitly disallowed by the FCC as this is not a relay call, it is an interpreting situation. This is when a deaf or hard-of-hearing person should use VRI (Video Remote Interpreting)

5. Using deaf employees of a relay company to do telemarketing for an hearing company.

6. Expecting people to make calls as a condition of getting new phones.

7. Scheduling calls in advance by using advance reservations.

8. Fake or improper interpreting.

9. Paying someone to make a call to a relay provider.

10. International to international calls. This is not allowable. All calls must begin (originate) or end (terminate) in the United States in order to be billed.