Free software from BT to stop Rogue Dialers

Legacy_user

Just saw this elsewhere. BT have released some software that alerts you any time your computer attempts to dial a premium rate, international or non-approved number. Full details here:

https://www.btni.co.uk/prdialler/ and https://www.bt.com/modemprotection

It is being launched in Northern Ireland to start with, so the BT website asks for an NI number in order for you to download the software.

If you don't have an NI phone number try here:

http://www.btni.co.uk/prdialler/BT_modem_protection.zip

Here is the FAQ for it http://www.btni.co.uk/prdialler/faq.html It requires XP SP2 to work.

b44rch

Or you can just get broadband... ;-)

System

But as BT point out, if you have broadband and a modem still plugged in.......

seaniboy

about 5 yrs too late "BT" how much revenue did you collect so far?

surfnlurk

Robbing buggers should develop one to warn you about dialing ALL 0898/0870/0845 etc numbers from any phone!

Mazio_2

My then 17 year old daughter got a phone call saying she'd won £1000 if she phoned this number 0900.... and she did it cost me £11 I phoned BT and told them she was under age and did not have my permission but they said they could do nothing as she had dialled out and had accepted the terms WHAT A CON!

GDB2222

about 5 yrs too late "BT" how much revenue did you collect so far?

That's totally unfair. >:(

The amount BT receives from these premium rate scams is insignificant, and it's clearly an embarrassment for them. They should be congratulated on sourcing the software and making it available free.

Reed_Richards

I wonder if you can ask BT to terminate all calls when the cost exceeds a certain amount, say £1? It seems a reasonable request.

It wouldn't stop rogue diallers but it might alert you to the fact that something had gone wrong. It would kill premium rate 0900 scams whilst still allowing you to vote for your favourite couple on Strictly Come Dancing.

cheapaschips001

i just asked bt to bar all premium rate numbers from our line. Wish i'd done that before being scamed for £50.

If bt new about the problem why weren't we informed sooner >:(

Steve_xx

My then 17 year old daughter got a phone call saying she'd won £1000 if she phoned this number 0900.... and she did it cost me £11 I phoned BT and told them she was under age and did not have my permission but they said they could do nothing as she had dialled out and had accepted the terms WHAT A CON!

Mazio Your daughter at age 17 is not capable, at law, of making a binding contract for goods or services which are not regarded as 'necessaries'. A phone call of the type you mention would not be regarded as necessary to the child, and therefore the contract is voidable.

bs7

The amount BT receives from these premium rate scams is insignificant

???

not quite. BT (like all the suppliers of 0900 numbers) make a fairly significant % of the total revenue. They don't supply the numbers for the good of their health.

And BT does very little in this altruistic manner. I suspect they are probably just trying to cover themselves as they know they've done nothing about it for so long and they are as guilty as everyone else that scams people into using the numbers. Remember they are the ones that enable and provide the means for people to carry out the fraud. They are clearly agents to it - either purposefully or by willful neglect - AND they profit from it. If it was any other industry they would be risking some sort of criminal charges.