INTERNET DUMPING - KNOW HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF
by Alice Seba
Imagine opening your next phone
bill, only to find a long distance charge
totalling $400 or even more. You have no idea
where these charges have come from and
what’s worse, your telephone company insists
that you made the calls and you must pay.
This is a reality for many people across the
globe. Dialer Hijacking (otherwise known as
Internet Dumping or Modem Jacking) has become an
epidemic problem for Internet users.
What is Dialer Hijacking?
You could be surfing around the Internet and
without realising it, have software downloaded to
your computer. This software disconnects you from
your usual dial-up Internet connection and
reconnects you on another, expensive phone line.
Even when your computer sits idle for long
periods of time, this dialer may still be hooking
you up to 1900 numbers and sending the charges to
your phone bill.
Can’t I Just Increase My Internet
Security Settings to Avoid This Problem?
Dialers are often downloaded onto systems
using Internet Explorer through an ActiveX
script. In Internet Explorer, you can set
your Internet security settings to
"medium" and your computer will never
download any ActiveX Controls without your
permission. This is the setting recommended by
Miscrosoft for surfing the Internet.
Just go to Tools -> Internet Options ->
Security -> Choose Medium at the Bottom
But it may not be enough…not all dialers
are downloaded through ActiveX scripts. They can
be .exe files or straight compiled code and not a
script or control of any kind.
Who Can Become a Victim?
Virtually any household can become a victim to
these malicious dialers.
Curious teenagers can fall for the scam very
easily when they want to enter an adult site. The
unscrupulous web site offers their visitors a way
to enter the site without entering a credit card.
All it takes is a click of the mouse. Once that
click has been made, the dialer software has been
downloaded.
And you don’t have to be at an adult site
for this to happen to you.
Michelle Bailey of Spanishburg, West Virginia,
USA found herself with an extra large phone bill
after searching the web for downloadable ring
tones for her husband's mobile phone, "I got
to this site where it said you could download
them, but there were TONS of pop-ups that kept
getting in my way.
"I clicked the ‘x’ repeatedly
to close them out. They were all over the screen.
Well, one of them just happened to be
strategically placed directly behind another in
such a way that by accidentally hitting the
‘x’ button twice, I ended up hitting an
‘Okay’ button behind it. Then a
download box showed up. I was confused, but not
really surprised, as these things can happen for
a number of reasons. I immediately ‘x’d
out of that download before it even got off to a
good start, and never thought of it
again…until I got the bill."
But I Thought Legislation Has Been
Introduced to Prevent this Problem
In Australia, codes of conduct have been set
up and phone companies are expected to set a cap
of $300 for 1-900 charges via data connections.
This was in an attempt to curb the dialer
hijacking problem.
Unfortunately, this only applies to phone
numbers in Australia, which doesn't solve the
problem because most dialer jacking instances
occur using international phone numbers. Also,
there is the problem of $300 still being racked
up before the cap kicks in.
What Can I Really Do to Prevent Dialers
from Being Downloaded to my System?
Again, you can try to increase your Internet
settings (go to "Custom Level" in the
security tab), but if you put them too high, the
Internet becomes virtually unusable. Desirable
scripts and features on various websites will no
longer work.
There is a unique software program, made in
Australia, called stopITnow! that will protect
you from being hijacked. This program stops
Internet dialers from accessing your dial-up
modem connection. For more information, visit www.stopitnow.com.au.
Remember, the best thing you can do is protect
yourself before it happens.
Alice Seba is the owner and
editor of www.InternetBasedMoms.com, an online business resource and
networking centre for work at home mothers.
Special for SWeCS
Newsletter readers!
The makers of StopITNow, the Australian
solution to modem jacking, are offering SWeCS
Newsletter readers a special rate for the
purchase of their software.
Normally around $40.00, SWeCS Newsletter
readers who click on the special link below will
be able to purchase the software for only $24.95!
Visit www.stopitnow.com.au/discount/offer.html.
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