Have you been a victim of the internet premium rate dial-up fraud?

cirrus18

If you get a dialler on your machine then it's YOUR fault and you are responsible for the bill. If you don't know how to work a computer then perhaps it's best to not own one, otherwise pay for your mistakes like a grown up.

Jake_bullet. Well, well, well, thank God you know it all and never make an error. How caring! You would get no sympathy here and in fact you'd give is all a laugh if at some future date a new and sophisticated scam, you have never heard of before, opens up your Internet banking account and clears out your money. After all, even with your superior computer knowledge you must realise is impossible to know everything about everything all the time.

The whole point about this posting is that the authorities have known for a long time that this scam is being perpetuated and have done nothing to stop it.
The Premium-Rate-Numbers overseeing body (http://www.icstis.org.uk/) hasn't any teeth and does very little except levy inadequate fines. The fines are so small compared with the money these criminals are making, they just laugh it off as a legitimate business expense.

This is why the people who have been affected are trying to help themselves and bring these criminals to book. Hopefully, they will stir up enough publicity into shaming the government into implementing new legislation stopping this type of crime.

Browntoa

I think Jake was a bit hard in his comments but his point is valid, these diallers can only be installed by accepting the download in the first place and a basic regular scan using the software mentioned in my earlier thread ( anti-spyware + anti virus) would remove any of these diallers for free

the use of the Btdialler protect program sets up a protected list of numbers that the modem can dial (also shows BT are attempting to prevent this happening) and warns if a new one tries to worm its way in

Quasar

Just out of curiosity, when I worked with Window 98 I used to be able to check what number I was dialling, but how do you do this with XP? Info appreciated!

Backbiter

Browntoa wrote:

these diallers can only be installed by accepting the download in the first place and a basic regular scan using the software mentioned in my earlier thread ( anti-spyware + anti virus) would remove any of these diallers for free

Don't these rip-off merchants deceive you into installing them by disguising them as something they aren't (like a pop-up blocker or something)? As far as I am aware they don't exactly say:

"By clicking on this advert you are agreeing to switch your dial-up number to an overseas premium number at an outrageously expensive rate".
How exactly do they get into your computer and change your settings?

And even if you are sensible and run a regular scan like Spybot, the chances are this will be at least several days after your computer was hijacked and you'll have unknowingly run up a big bill.

Mr_Skint_2

If you dont know what your clicking on then dont.... Unless you think your
going to get premium rate !!!!!! on the cheap...

To check your dialling settings open IE, Tools, Internet Options, Connections Tab
if there is more than your current ISP then remove it.

Also ceck add/remove programs in control panel... and as mentioned before
by browntoa, antispyware programs...

jake_bullet_2

Cirrus18, there's no point in having a go at me, I agree with you, if someone cleans me out by tricking me into revealing my passwords then it IS my fault. Laugh away. I'm not laughing at these people, i'm saying that they are pointing the finger at the wrong people.

The point is that people who have been caught by this scam are trying to make someone else responsible for the problem, now you can argue that it's their fault or you could argue that it's the fault of the people who tricked them into downloading a dialler but how is it the telephone company at fault? They received a request to connect to a phone number and they carried it out.

cirrus18

if someone cleans me out by tricking me into revealing my passwords then it IS my fault.

Would you still agree that it IS your fault if this scam was well-known, had been going on for a long time. If that the authorities who are there to protect you have done nothing, your bank has taken no action, was still paying out money to the criminals and when you ask for redress they tell you to go and seek the money from the thieves yourself. Because that's what the people who have been tricked here have found.

I believe it is perfectly reasonable to blame BT and seek redress from them. They are the ones who are actually paying the money to these crooks. Surely, it is reasonable to expect BT to take some action in this regard. One would imagine that it would be only common sense to withhold payouts to premium rate numbers and companies immediately upon receiving complaints about them. Let the crooks prove that they have a legitimate charge and not the customer.

jake_bullet_2

"Would you still agree that it IS your fault if this scam was well-known, had been going on for a long time."

More so, the longer a scam runs then the more it can be expected that people get wise to it and take steps to guard against it.

BT do take action when scams are revealed, they block the number. They also offer 2 forms of free upfront protection, premium rate barring and the dial up protection software.

Also, they don't pay any "crooks". Not once they are revealed to be such. Up until it has been established that something IS a scam then BT have a contractural duty to carry the calls.

jake_bullet_2

"I see both sides here but jake - this software is fairly sneaky in its approach. While I don't agree that being clueless on the internet is a good idea, I also don't think that the blame lies solely with the home user for what is essentially deception and using the equipment is such a way that if the home user was asked in plain English if they would permit what was about to happen they would categorically refuse."

I agree, the software is sneaky. What I'm saying is that it isn't BT software, it isn't a BT scam. The deception has been carried out by scammers, the finger should be pointed at them, the redress should come from them, not the telephone company.

If someone breaks into your house and turns on all of your electric appliances for 2 weeks while you are on holiday, should the electricity board refund your bill? Is it somehow their fault?

Or, is it - your fault? (for not having better security) - The thiefs fault (for doing it)

Maybe a bit of both?

Certainly it's NOT the electricity board.

trisontana

Another analogy is with a newspaper. If someone advertises in the paper something which later turns out to be a scam, who do you blame, the newspaper or the scammer? Of course it is the latter's fault , but the newspaper, like BT, will probably take action against the scammer and stop them advertising in the paper again.