Ringtones not so free

AzoogleAds has agreed to fork $1 million over to Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum's office, a penalty for the deceptive online lead-gen ads it let run in the state.

AzoogleAds is the first to face the wrath of Florida's new CyberFraud Task Force.

The task force found consumers responding to offers for free mobile ringtones, a process that unwittingly registered them to subscription plans for which they were automatically billed.

But AzoogleAds may not quite have to admit to wrongdoing, having signed an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance, which lists the $1 million wrist-slap as a "contribution" to state legal costs.

The money will help pay for future investigations into other firms in the lead-gen business, a process AzoogleAds may assist in the future.

In the new agreement, AzoogleAds must alter ads with statements such as "Free Ringtones!" to include disclosures: "Free ringtones with paid monthly subscription of $9.99 per month."

The Task Force is currently investigating Think Partnership, Intermark Media, and Media Breakaway for similar practices.