Hollywood stars including Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law are at the center of a massive phone-tapping scandal following allegations their voice mail messages were hacked into by a U.K. tabloid.

The actors are among dozens of celebrities - including supermodel Elle MacPherson and PR guru Max Clifford - soccer stars, and leading British politicians whose cell phones were allegedly targeted by the News of the World.

It is claimed some journalists from the newspaper accessed voicemail messages of the rich and famous and listened in the hope of picking up juicy gossip. The tabloid's Royal Editor Clive Goodman was jailed for four months in January 2007 for intercepting voicemail messages left on Prince William's phone.

Now British newspaper The Guardian alleges that during the police investigation into Goodman, dozens of other celebrities whose phones were tapped into were also named to cops.

It is claimed that since the probe, News Group Newspapers - which owns the News of the World - has paid out $1.5 million to celebrities in out-of-court settlements in a bid to hush-up the full scale of the phone-tapping scandal.

A News of the World spokesman has declined to comment on the claims.

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(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)