SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) -- A 77-year-old retiree has won a two-month battle with
a cell phone company over bills for about $31,000 in calls from Nicaragua he
says he never made.

Oliver DeSofi's Cingular Wireless bill from November listed more than
$21,420 in roaming charges for more than 4,000 calls made from his phone
from Nicaragua. When he contacted Cingular about the charges, DeSofi learned
there were already $9,554 in similar charges on his next bill.

The former bank executive said his bill was normally about $150 -- he has
never been to Nicaragua.

''I told them this is impossible,'' DeSofi said.

DeSofi complained of fraud, but Cingular disagreed and tried to collect the
money, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported Saturday.

Cingular canceled DeSofi's account, saying its fraud department did not find
any problems with the account. The company reversed its decision after a
Herald-Tribune inquiry on Thursday.

''We are researching how it was handled from beginning to end,'' Cingular
spokeswoman Kelly Starling said.

A company representative told DeSofi that his bill had been credited the
full amount and with an additional $120, which he could use if he wanted to
resume service.

DeSofi said he did not plan to return to Cingular.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Cell-Phone-Fraud.html