Company ordered to stop selling phone records

Nixon obtained a temporary restraining order Jan. 30 against the online company, which has done business under several names but is known most prominently as locatecell.com.

The order alleges locatecell.com violated state consumer protection laws by misrepresenting that it is legal to obtain, possess and sell phone records.

Defendants in the case are named as First Data Solutions Inc. and its principal owner, James Kester, of Knoxville, Tenn., and 1st Source Information Specialists Inc. of Tamarac, Fla., and its directors Kenneth W. Gorman and Steven Schwartz, of Jensen Beach, Fla.

According to the locatecell.com Web site, the name and address of a cell phone user can be purchased for $65 by entering a cell phone number. For $110, a cell phone number can be entered and a list of calls made from that number will be provided.

Nixon's office initiated the investigation into the company Jan. 19 when an undercover investigator made an online transaction with locatecell.com to purchase records of calls made on his private cell phone. Nixon's office filed for the order after the investigator received the records Jan. 20

The court order prohibits the defendants from attempting to obtain, offering to sell or selling any information from any cellular or land line telephone service provider. The defendants also cannot take orders from Missourians seeking telephone records.