Internet Diallers As an Internet user, please be aware that there is a small but genuine risk of incurring large toll costs while using the Internet, regardless of who your Internet provider is and regardless of who your tolls provider is. Internet dialler or auto dialler software, once installed on your computer, enables your computer to make a toll call using your phone line, for which you will then be billed. This is a growing problem the world over. As the phone line or toll account holder, calls made from your phone line are your responsibility. Internet diallers How can a dialler have been installed on my computer? Internet diallers and your phone account How can I protect my computer? How can I remove an Internet dialler? Internet diallers An Internet dialler allows you to access "premium content" on the Internet and pay for such access via an 0900 number or an international toll number charged to the bill of your phone line or toll provider. Legitimate services offered can include adult services, music downloads, chat lines, online games, weather reports, astrology readings, competitions, voting lines and more. However, Internet diallers may be installed on your computer without your knowledge. How can a dialler have been installed on my computer? In many cases, you have to actively click a link to download and run a dialler. Your Internet browser will then open a window asking you to agree to commence the installation process. Often users simply click YES without actually reading the disclaimer. Alternately, the install function may be disguised as a link purporting to close the current window or may be labeled as 'NO' or 'CANCEL'. Many diallers automatically install themselves, taking advantage of your inattention. Some diallers start up at the same time as the computer they are installed on, automatically establishing a dial-up connection. They will stay online as long as the computer is running. Some diallers will wait until the computer is idle before dialling out, or even configure the computer to turn on automatically and dial at times you are normally asleep and not likely to discover that your computer is active. Diallers can also be sent by email and are not clearly or easily recognisable. You should carefully check email attachments originating from unknown sources. The purpose of a dialler is to disconnect you from your normal Internet service provider and instruct your modem to dial out on an 0900 or international toll number. The dialler takes just a few seconds to download and may install itself as an icon on your desktop and/or in your start up menu. Internet Diallers and your phone account The charges from accessing 0900 services using Internet diallers will appear on the account of your telephone line provider and the charges for toll calls using Internet diallers on the account of your toll provider. If you have been billed for calls of this nature, either you or someone using your phone has accessed this content on the Internet. The telephone account holder or toll account owner is required to pay for the calls. (See our Terms and Conditions.) Calls using 0900 numbers are usually automatically terminated when the user has had continuous access for 20 or 29 minutes. This is to keep you aware of the charges being incurred and is also why you may see calls of a similar duration on your bill. International toll calls made by Internet diallers, have no limit as they are treated the same as other international toll calls. How can I protect my computer? 1. Do not click on unknown links or links to sites offering "free" access. You may find sites offering free access to something if you download their dialler. If you do, be aware that you may see a charge on your phone bill. 2. Increase your Internet browser security settings. Some diallers install themselves automatically through scripts on web pages. To avoid this, you can change the security settings in Internet Explorer. Click the Tools menu. Select Internet Options. Click the Security tab. Highlight Internet. Set the security level to High. This may disable some functionality in your browser but can assist in protecting you from unwittingly downloading an Internet dialler. 3. Turn off your computer and/or unplug the phone line connected to your computer when you are not using it. 4. Use anti-virus and intrusion prevention software tools such as those provided by McAfee. Other software such as Ad-aware, PestPatrol and SpyBot can assist in detecting and removing diallers and other malicious programmes. How can I remove an Internet dialler? To completely remove an Internet dialler, you need to remove all programme components and registry entries. We cannot help you do this, as it requires editing the Windows registry. There is software available which can detect and remove Trojan diallers and other nuisance programmes. Have a look at PestPatrol and SpyBot. This information is provided to you in good faith to help you to reduce the potential impact of Internet dialler activity on your toll account. Compass accepts no responsibility for the effectiveness of the third-party software suggested here and cannot provide technical support for this software.
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