"Internet Dumping" - Unexplained Phone Bills

Hi all,

Just thought i would mention this as of late it has become really common throughout the IT sector.

If you are using Dialup internet - beware. Companys such as Approach Telecom and Australian Internet Billing are using you.

When viewing websites you can be infected with spyware and malware, which may be connecting you to 1900 numbers, or premium content numbers you are unaware of.

If you receive a bill from a company you have never heard of demanding money, don't pay it, and contact the Telecommunication Industry Ombudsman HERE and tell them what has happened. As the majority of these companies have several complaints against them already, they will drop the bill.

If the Ombudsman takes a while getting back to you, contact the company directly and threaten to file a complaint with the ombudsman.

If you have any issues please don't hesitate to email me for help.

Some of my friends and relatives have almost become victims of this loophole. If people wise up, these companies could be closed down sooner rather than later.

 

Thanks for the warning, Brenton

I always get my phone bill itemised number-by-number, and any calls which are not familiar to me, I question. So far they have all been made by my kids.

Cheers,
Doug

 

I've had a few calls regarding this at work

Dialer hijackers as we call them, dials overseas, then optus slaps you a massive bill. We usually just tell them to ring the carrier and refuse to pay the bill

 

Yeah, happened to me

was connecting dialup one day last year, about a minute after I dialed in I realised that was far too many numbers I heard through the modem, so I got out quick, checked and reset the dialup number. 1 month later got an Optus bill for $1.57 to somewhere in South America. Bloody glad I got out of that quickly.

 

Re: Yeah, happened to me

Quit looking at porn and you don't get this problem

 

Sorry is there some other use for the internet?

 

Thanx for the help...

I had a few calls made to Leichenstein and Austria in the last bill! From memory I've never met any chicks from that part of the world in my sober state so it was a puzzle at the time. But these were just momentary calls ie. 1 or 2 seconds so it wasn't a hassle.