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How much is in YOUR wallet? Dialers Revealed, Part One
Manufacturing News Center
November 28, 2003-- If you do not know what a Dialer is, you are
not alone. A dialer is simply an application which uses a phone modem
to dial an Internet connection, and is not necessarily bad.
Your ISP may have supplied you with a dialer so that your configuration
was set properly to use their service for example or a web site that
you frequent may supply one as a way to pay for services without the
need for a credit card. If the user is aware and has agreed to the use
of the dialer, this can be a convenient method for quick system configuration
or commercial transactions. Where the problem arises is when they are
installed without the user's knowledge.
A current example of this is occurring in Sweden where most minors own
cell phones. Certain sites that offer cell phone logos and custom ring
tones also had included a dialer program that the site user had to download
in order to access the site content. What is disturbing here is that though
the site owners placed disclaimers about the requirement and the associated
costs, they hid it in such a way as to take advantage of the fact that
most minors will not take the time to search for this information. These
dialers can charge over $2/minute to use.
Once installed, they can be extremely difficult to remove. The dialer
will configure your settings to route you from your chosen ISP to a network
specified by the dialer's programming. The alarming part of this is that
you could be charged any amount per minute that the dialer's distributor
has selected, from pennies to hundreds of dollars. Most often the only
indication that you might have a dialer on your system is when you receive
your phone bill.
Many of you reading this article will undoubtedly be thinking, "Well I
have broadband and don't use a dial up connection, so I am safe." This
is a "mostly-true" myth. It is true that if you have broadband, the dialer
will not affect the settings for this connection, but what is not commonly
known is that you might also have a dial up modem installed on your system.
Some broadband services establish a connection through your dial up modem
should you have difficulties with the broadband signal. This is commonly
used for Satellite and wireless setups that can be affected by weather
and signal strength limitations or for DSL and Cable should there be a
network outage.
The main goal of those that make and supply these programs is to make
as much money as possible in the shortest amount of time. The company
that produces the dialer and charges your phone bill offers a financial
incentive to those who are able to get the dialer installed on a system.
Usually the 'affiliate' who installed the dialer on your system gets a
percentage of the per minute charges. For example, if the charge is $4.99
per minute, the 'affiliate' may get $1.00 per minute for the connection.
Not only does the provider of the dialer get the per minute charge, but
the person who got the dialer to install on your system makes a profit
as well.
What is frightening here is that you do not need to download these programs
yourself. A site might attempt to hide the installation by swamping your
connection with popup ads so you do not notice the program attempting
to install. If you do not have the appropriate security settings for your
browser, these programs can and do install without any notice and do not
require that you click to agree. A common method is to force a silent
install and have wording in the application's EULA (End User License Agreement)
that states that you agree to the charges if the software is installed.
The dialer is installed, you connect to the net, and you are billed, regardless
of whether or not you agreed to, or even knew that it was being installed.
When the charges on your phone bill finally arrive and you protest them,
the dialer companies might make it extremely difficult for you to obtain
credit for the charges. You might even be asked to send them a copy of
your birth certificate or other personal information. Do not send any
personal information!
Keep
your computer free of adware and spyware
If you have fallen victim to a dialer, do the following:
- Disable the dialer so that no further charges are added.
- As soon as you receive the bill (do not pay the bill) immediately
contact the issuer, including your telephone provider, collection, or
applicable agency, and inform them about what you have discovered and
that you are disputing the charges. Always contest the charges in writing
(keep a copy), send it by registered mail. Your telephone company or
the agency may provide further advice on how they want you to proceed.
- If you need assistance with the above contact your states Attorney
General's office, Division of Consumer Affairs, or the correct law enforcement
agency in your area or country and lodge a complaint; the dialer company
may have violated the law by not explicitly notifying you of the company
name and charges prior to installation. Your law enforcement officials
will have records of the number of similar complaints against a company.
If enough complaints are lodged, the chances are better at stopping
the activity.
If you believe that you have an unwanted dialer on your system and need
assistance in removing it, visit Lavasoft
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Source: ©2003 Lavasoft.
Originally published November 15, 2003
Melanie Boston - Support, and Michael Wood - VP Sales
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