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stuart
new user
Reg'd: Sat
Posts: 12
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An associate at work asked me today whether when connected to the internet via either a dial up or anytime package (ie using the phone line), if it is possible to still accrue charges from websites via the phone bill without disconnecting from the ISP account. His small son managed to access an adult site that started charging a premium rate to the phone bill. I assume that the kid managed to install a premium rate connection and so discontinued the ISP dial up number and redialed the premium rate number without knowing. Is this the case or is it indeed possible for websites to be able to charge straight to your BT account whilst you are still connected to your ISP phone number and unaware of this fact.
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Hello_There
Moderator
Reg'd: Thu
Posts: 6179
Loc: Here, in my room
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This happened recently to my son, but he noticed it quickly and logged off. "Thankfully" we've "only" been charged £13 for what happened. I rang my phone company to get confirmation this premium number hasn't been dialling up on the sly since that date, and it hasn't.
However, please ask your colleague to open up Tools, Internet Options, Connections to check there's no other dial up name apart from his ISP, because the premium number installed its details on my son's computer and the box had been changed from "Always Dial My Default Connection" to "Dial Whenever a Network Connection is Not Present". I removed the unwanted guest from there too.
Never put off till tomorrow what you can avoid all together
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greysts
regular
Reg'd: Thu
Posts: 18153
Loc: Colchester
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A phone bill can only be generated by BT monitoring and measuring the calls made from a specific telephone number. They can not and will not add anything to an account that is not generated through that particular number. It follows that remote websites cannot put anything on your t/p account. However it is vital that your colleague checks that the rogue dial-up connection has been deleted. He should also get some protection on his PC to stop it happening again.
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safeTsurfa
regular
Reg'd: Mon
Posts: 693
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Many adult sites try to install dialers, which silently redirects the connection to a premium rate number. If this has happened on that computer, as seems likely, then it's security settings are too low, as such sites usually use an ActiveX control to make it happen.
Get your friend to apply the following settings for the Internet Zone, under the Security tab in the Internet Options, by using the Customise option:
Download signed ActiveX controls - Prompt (so you must accept)
Download UNsigned ActiveX controls - Disable this
Initialise ActiveX controls NOT marked as safe - Disable this
Java permissions - HIGH safety
Installation of desktop items - Prompt
Allow paste operations via script - Prompt
THEN, under the Advanced tab, apply the following settings:
UNcheck Enable Install on demand (Internet)
UNcheck Enable Install on demand (Other)
(Those two stop anything installing automatically without asking first)
Under the Security list at the bottom, select every option for maximum safety.
Now, when an adult site tries to install a dialer, an alert will ask if you wish to run an "ActiveX control or plugin" - to which you answer NO.
It won't be 100% secure, as I found two dialers had managed to insinuate their way past my own strong defences recently (but had failed to install), but it will be safer than he has it at present.
safeTsurfa
Stay alert! Stay safe! Stay alive!
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JackFlash
regular
Reg'd: Tue
Posts: 831
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May I add that these (malicious software) diallers can be looked for, and deleted if found, by using Ad-Aware or Spybot S & D.
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stuart
new user
Reg'd: Sat
Posts: 12
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Thanks for the advice. Passed on with grateful thanks
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Barney_Rubble
regular
Reg'd: Tue
Posts: 2699
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Thanks for all that lot, SafeTsurfa. I'll have a look at my own settings later, just to be sure.
Another thing you can do Stuart is to ask BT to block premium rate numbers. It's called (predictably enough) "premium rate call barring" and it's FREE! All you have to do is ask, then if you do pick up one of the little b******s it can't 'phone home.
One other point. It's not only porn sites that install these things without our knowledge. I once followed a link to a "free" software download site advertised on Google (the boxes on the right), and before I had time to start browsing the site I heard the click that told me my connection had been dropped.
I'm lucky. There's only me here and I don't normally listen to music while I'm on the www, but at least I know that any time I fail to hear that click, BT's call barring will be there as a safety net, though I'd rather not test it too often, just in case there are still some numbers that may get through.
Barney's Place
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