That's right. A Verizon Wireless subscriber was so desperate to avoid paying the $175 contract cancellation fee that he had a friend fax a faked death certificate to Verizon. Too bad being dead didn't work.

It turns out Verizon Wireless eventually figured out that Corey Taylor of Chicago wasn't actually dead and made him pay the fees to cancel his contract. The Washington Post article that details his story doesn't mention if he was forced to pay any additional fines or if he was busted for falsely reporting his death.

Of the attempt, Taylor said: "In the end, I forked over the money. But I bet I sent a definite message about how much people hate being strapped to a cell phone that doesn't work."

He may have sent a message, but it likely fell on deaf ears. The wireless carriers already know that people despise their contracts. That hasn't stopped them from charging the cancellation fees. And I am sure Taylor is not the first guy in the world to pull some shenanigans to escape his contract without penalty.

Even though cell phone contracts have received a lot of negative press lately, and even some attention from Congress, they will likely be around for a while. The Post article goes on to say:

Consumer lawsuits in several states, including California and Florida, have challenged the fees as unfair and illegal because they punish customers for moving to another service provider. Wireless carriers have asked the FCC to treat the fees not as penalties but as rates companies can charge for service. Several members of Congress have expressed concern over the fees, and some have said they plan to introduce legislation this fall that would give states more authority to regulate the fees.

Until Congress actually does something, though, there is little we can do. One tactic is to simply never sign a new contract once your current one expires. The only downside is that you'll have to pay full retail price (no subsidies) for whatever new phone you choose to buy. While the new hardware will cost a bit more, that extra $100 spent on the phone might be worth it for those who don't like to be locked into lengthy contracts.