International dialing adds up quick
The Better Business Bureau and other consumer organizations are working together to educate consumers on practical steps they can take to manage and minimize the misuse of their personal and sensitive information when using the Internet. One such area to watch for is long distance charges showing up on your phone bill that you did not authorize or approve.
Most of us use a local phone number when connecting to the Internet. But, what do you do when you find charges on your phone bill for destinations such as Guyana, Madagascar or Kenya? Calls such as these can be made through your computer modem without your knowledge or approval.
How can this happen? Some Web sites use international dialing to trick consumers into paying to access content. The sites claim to be free or advertise that “no credit card is needed,” then prompt the user to download a “viewer” or “dialer” program. Here’s the catch: Once the program is downloaded to the user’s computer, it disconnects the Internet connection and reconnects to an international long-distance phone number, at rates of between $2 and $7 a minute.
These scams, typically associated with adult sites, do not require a credit card number for access. That means they are available to children, who can click onto them without their parents’ knowledge or permission. Even if parents disable international calling from their phone lines, many modem dialers are programmed to circumvent the block, and initiate international calls using a 10-10 dial around prefix.
To minimize your chances of finding surprising international long distance charges on your phone bill, the Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission suggest the following tips:
• Beware of any program that enables your modem to re-dial to the Internet. If you see a dialog box on your computer indicating that it is dialing when you did not direct it to, cancel the connection and hang up. Check the number you are dialing and continue only if it is a local call.
• Read online disclosures carefully. They may be buried several clicks away in pages of small print. In addition, carefully scroll through the language in the typical gray boxes on your screen Do not click “OK” unless you know exactly what you are agreeing to.
• Talk to your children. Tell them the consequences of downloading “viewer” or “dialer” programs on the computer.
• Monitor your children’s Internet use. Keep track of the Web sites your child visits by checking the Web browser history files.
• Be skeptical when surfing the Web. “Free” does not always mean free.
• Take action if you find charges on your phone bill you did not authorize. Contact the Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org) and the Federal Trade Commission (www.ftc.gov).
• Save your phone bill. If you think you have been a victim of international modem dialing, it may help identify the scammers.
For more information on how to protect your privacy online, visit the BBB Web site at www.bbbonline.org or contact your local BBB at (615) 867-0032 during regular office hours and 24 hours a day at (615) 242-4222.