Tone it downThe European Commission is threatening 17 Irish websites offering mobile phone ringtones and wallpapers with closure over suspected breaches of consumer protection rules.

Websites across Europe stand accused of scamming young people by luring them into long-term contracts when they think they are downloading ringtones and wallpapers for a fixed sum.

Of 18 Irish websites checked out by the Commission in its EU-wide sweep, 17 were found to need further action taken against them, while 14 were considered to be potential cases for action under EU consumer protection legislation.