Rogue Diallers and Premium rate number scams:

What is a dialler?

A dialler is a program designed to dial premium rate numbers. They’ve actually been around for years but only recently have they become dangerous. They were originally designed as a way of making small payments (e.g. for competition entry) by hanging up the standard internet connection, dialling a premium rate number for a short time, then redialling the original internet connection. The internet page which hosted the competition would always warn you what was about to happen, and apart from them going wrong and forgetting to redial your original internet connection, there wasn’t really a problem.

Today however, they are much more malicious than that. Diallers will try to trick users into using them, and then silently dial premium rate numbers without you even realising. And to keep you connected, they will allow normal internet access so you don’t even realise you’re not connected to your internet provider. It’s worth pointing out that these are in fact illegal, but you will probably still have to pay your phone bill. Your only recourse is to contact ICSTIS and report the problem, and also to report it to your phone company.

Is it true that you can get £500 phone bills from these things?

Well, unfortunately, yes, it is. However, don’t believe everything you read. There are no £40 per minute numbers! But there are £1.50 a minute numbers and it wouldn’t take too long to rack up a substantial phone bill. Most people whom AAH Computer Services have encountered with a dialler problem have phone bills ranging from a few pounds to about £40, but we have met people who have had phone bills as high as £400.

So how does one of these get onto your system?

They can arrive at your system in a number of ways:

* Through a web site that actually tells you what is going on but doesn’t emphasise the costs. You’ll be told that answering "yes" will download a program that will allow you to access certain web pages. The costs will be in the small print.
* Through a web site that tries to trick you into loading a dialler. It will not mention the costs, and you might not even realise it’s happening.
* Through some adware or spyware that has already been loaded onto your machine. You won’t have any warning and the dialler will load onto your computer without anything obvious happening. The computer may dial the premium rate number when the dialler detects that you haven’t used the mouse for a certain amount of time to better hide what it’s doing.

What’s the best way to prevent this happening?

* Contact your phone company and ask them to put a bar on premium rate numbers!
* If you’re using broadband, disconnect your old dialup modem from the phone line.

These last two things will prevent you from getting high phone bills, but if your computer has a dialler program, it will still interfere with your internet browsing, as it will be trying (in vain) to dial its premium rate number all the time. The best course of action is to run an adware removal program such as Adaware.

How can I tell if I’ve got a rogue dialler on my computer?

There are a few simple ways to tell:

* Look in your dialup networking folder. For Windows XP, go to Start and Network connections. For other versions of Windows, go to My Computer and look for Dialup Networking. Check if there are any other internet connections that the one you actually use. Often, they will be labelled in an obvious fashion, such as "XXX Dialer".
* If you can receive mail but not send, it may be because you’re not connected to your usual internet provider
* Call your phone company and ask them if any premium rate numbers have been dialled from your line

This list is by no means exhaustive, and you may still have a problem even if none of the above apply to you. Contact us today for an expert assessment if you are concerned.

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