BT tackles Rogue Diallers
by brian_turner
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Telecoms company BT has launched free software and an early warning system, to combat the problem of rogue diallers, following complaints from over 80,000 of its customers.
Rogue diallers are programs which dial a premium rate number via a user’s modem, when a user logs on. Users are unaware of this until they receive their phone bill, which can be thousands of pounds more than normal.
Rogue diallers can infiltrate a PC in a number of ways -
- some legitimate sites use premium numbers as a means of payment rather than requesting the user’s credit card details
- some people misunderstand the terms and conditions involved when they download the free software needed to activate the content
- security flaws in web browsers and operating systems can be exploited to install the diallers secretly
- the diallers can also be installed by programs hidden in spam e-mail or web pop-ups.
According to BT, 2,000 customers a day are downloading the software. The company also provides a text message service, which alerts people if their phone bill increases substantially.
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