Johannesburg, 29 Oct 2004
Internet users are seeing the effects of what is termed the `modem hijacker virus`, when they receive their monthly telephone accounts. The virus automatically dials international numbers at premium rates, sometimes without the customer`s knowledge and the resultant exorbitant telephone bills alerts them to the problem.
The hacker virus is a small executable file that can download itself on the PC and is programmed to mute the modem dial sound and dial to an international destination like Western Samoa, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, etc.
In some instances, customers are warned that an international number will be dialled but in most cases, customers are disconnected from the ISP and the international numbers dialled.
In some cases the Web-dialler also has the capability of allowing the user direct access to the international pay-site without having to connect to the local ISP. In such cases, the international number will reflect on the customer`s call detail report with no preceding call to the local ISP.
Customers who download software, or click onto pages can unknowingly be rerouted to international operators and thus incur costs.
For Telkom, the request from a customer (via an operator, an ISP, an Internet request) to connect to an international destination is facilitated almost instantaneously and the company cannot be responsible for verifying all international calls.
Customers using the Internet should always read the terms and conditions of Web sites before accessing information, they need to also be aware that some sites re-route calls to operators that charge higher rates in order to make money. In order to protect themselves, Telkom recommends the BlockCall Plus product.
BlockCall Plus can be activated by a secret PIN, and can be programmed to block all calls to international destinations. The PIN-holder can `allow` the calls he/she wants to be made and the product can help to prevent these nasty surprises. BlockCall Plus is available at R34.85 a month and can be ordered by dialling 10219.
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