Topic: Concern over internet phone fraud

[Clive]

UK police are looking into complaints about excessive phone bills, allegedly caused by PC software that secretly dials up premium rate numbers.

The National Hi-Tech Crime Unit was approached by the premium rate watchdog, Icstis, following a rise in complaints of net-related phone fraud.

"We are in discussions with them," an Icstis spokesman told BBC News Online.

Programs called diallers can secretly install themselves and automatically connect to premium rate lines.

Pay per view

Diallers are commonly used by pornographic or gambling sites as a way of charging people, without the need for a credit card.

But it seems that many people are not aware that they have downloaded a program that will dial a premium rate number.

According to Icstis, the number of complaints about high telephone bills related to web-based premium rate services has soared.

A spokesman said most people thought that they had been hit by a rogue dialler.

In fact, he said, many of the cases were due to people not reading the terms and conditions, or due to someone in the household accessing paid-for content without permission.

But a small number - around 1,000 complaints last year - seemed to involve diallers which had automatically installed themselves on a computer.

In one case, the watchdog has received more than 300 complaints about an adult premium rate number, which it has asked the Hi-Tech Crime Unit to investigate.

Small print

One potential issue is that people might have agreed to download a dialler, without been aware of exactly what they have signed up for.

"A lot of these adult sites are not very up front about what they are putting on your computer," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for anti-virus firm Sophos.

"They keep quiet that you are paying for it by your phone bill."

"There are long license agreement that nobody reads. If you have agreed to something, it is hard to complain about it."

People who believe they been fallen victim to a net-related telephone fraud have been advised to contact Icstis.

This problem only affects people who use a dial-up connection to the internet but someone with broadband could see their net speeds drop if they still have a modem in their PC.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3836203.stm
 

[TR]

Last month when I got back off Holiday from Menorca, there was a very nice Telephone Bill awaiting on the doormat  

Opened it and it was £30 higher than normal, checked the Nos,and you guessed it there was one 090 number on it 13mins @ a cost of £17? and one other, Because we were out of the country and the kids were all at work at the time of the call I checked my PC and low and behold there was a nice little dialler tucked away  .

Phoned Mr BT and explained and they waved that part of the bill..

I can now look back and think damn I should check more often and keep my definisions up todate.

Hookstar

[Adept]

This happened to my sister-in-law frequently over the last few months. She has three teenagers in the house and, despite all efforts to educate them about the dangers of clicking on popups, they contnue to do it  :brick: >

The machine is protected by AVG and SpywareBlaster and Spybot and Adaware is regularly run, but the diallers still get through somehow  > > The latest one apparently came from an IQ test.

Personally, I think the companies allowing these ads to be placed on their sites should be made liable too. :damn: :tony: :curse:

[Simon]

Am I right in thinking rogue diallers can't affect broadband users?

[Shaz]

I think thats right Simon, Im sure ive read it somewhere

[TR]

This has happened on a large scale in the region here (East Anglia)

 
A former BT engineer last night told the EDP how a telephone scam has been carried out using equipment costing just a few pounds.

Incredibly in such a hi-tech industry, it appears that all that the fraudsters needed was cutting equipment and simple telephones.

John Uff, 42, of Horsey, near Yarmouth, discovered the truth after he became a victim of the premium rate calls scam that has netted thousands of pounds and affected villages as far afield as Thurne, near Yarmouth, and Bardfield Saling in Essex.

The first victims know what has happened is when they open their phone bills and find they have been charged for premium rate calls ? often to adult sex chat lines ? which they had not made.

After the EDP revealed that nearly half the households of Thurne had been affected, it became clear from phone calls from readers that the sting was more widespread.

Mr Uff, who runs a computer business using 120 phone lines, said: "My normal BT bill would be £1500 to £2000 a month for line rental.

"This one was for £3500 and there were a number of calls listed, which was strange because we always use other phone companies to make calls."

Some 80 premium rate calls were listed ? the most expensive £32 ? totalling £1300.

He said: "Ten of the calls were made at the same time on different lines, and they were all made between 1am and 2.30am on a night in May."

Mr Uff said when he rang the BT helpline he encountered the same attitude of disbelief as other EDP readers.

However, the truth became clear when he joined a BT engineer on an inspection of the cables running into Horsey along the main road.

Mr Uff, who had been a BT engineer for 10 years, said: "He found a spot where there was clear evidence of tampering with the lines."

The lines had been exposed at a joint between two cables and the insulating material cut away.

Then it had been a simple matter of connecting a telephone or telephones to the lines leading to homes and businesses in the village.

He said: "If they find a dialling tone they can connect with a premium rate number, and someone ends up being charged."

Mr Uff has set up an information website on the subject, fax.co.uk/scam.

His advice to people in rural communities where phone lines might be isolated and vulnerable is to consider asking BT to bar all premium rate calls from their home, by ringing 0800 800 150.

Evidence that the East Anglia scam might be more widespread than first thought was reinforced last night by Hilary Franzen, who lives in Hellington, between Norwich and Loddon.

On her last bill from phone company Homecall, she was shocked to find 13 mystery premium rate calls listed, swelling her normal £70 charge to £210.

The longest of the calls ? all made early on May 9 ? totalled as much as £28.99.

She said: "My worry is that this might happen again. Like other people reported in the EDP I tried to contact the premium number regulator, ICSTIS, but they were constantly engaged."

A BT spokesman said the scam was still being investigated, but people affected had been refunded, or would be in due course.

As it was a criminal matter, he declined to comment on Mr Uff's explanation as to how it had occurred.

 

[Dack]

Am I right in thinking rogue diallers can't affect broadband users?

Unless they mess up your internet settings.

[TR]

 >

Plans to increase maximum premium rate tariffs to £5 a minute have been shelved over concerns that higher charges could lead to even more people being ripped off.

Premium rate watchdog ICSTIS said it would not proceed with proposals to offer new £2.50 and £5.00 a minute charges until sufficient safeguards are in place to protect consumers.

 George Kidd, the director general of ICSTIS, said: "We know high tariffs are particularly attractive to those intent on wrongdoing. We will only move on the trial [of new higher premium rate charges] when we are sure the right safeguards are in place.

"The same is true for any tariff increased, including suggestions of £2.00 per minute. It would be irresponsible to raise tariffs at a time when complaints levels are rising, consumer harm is increasing and overall trust in premium rate is under threat."

Indeed, ICSTIS warns in its latest bulletin that complaints about Internet-related premium-rate services have rocketed. In particular, it's concerned that Net users are being stung by rogue "dialler software" that disconnects PCs from an ISP before reconnecting them to a premium rate service.

Last month, an Internet sex company was fined £10,000 after more than 370 punters complained that it had installed software on their PCs that connected them to a premium-rate phone line. ®

[TR]

More info Here