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Geek Culture / This stupid scam is getting ridicules!

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Megaton Cat
21
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Joined: 24th Aug 2003
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posted: 6th May 2004 15:53
Geee a really nice long-distance phone bll arrived at my house yesterday...with a 120$ charge for calls to Sao Tome that we didn't make! We call retarded Bell and they deny all responsibility (even though the bil was from them) and claim the cals were made through our computer using spyware. And my mom is blaming me! I don't even have a computer anymore, and thier is password protected! WTF!


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DivW
21
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Joined: 31st Jul 2003
Location: Scotland
Posted: 6th May 2004 15:59
Does like bu115hit to me. If i was you, i'd refuse to pay the bill. What you need is my auntie-she kicks up a fuss if she gets charged a penny extra, and can usually even get compensation. She actually has metal teeth as well, which helps (a disease from childhood, bad dentist and practice decided that replacing them with metal ones was a good idea) to make sure things hurry along. Don't pay-kick up a fuss. And that excuse sounds like bu115hit to me. I would start bitch slapping people...about...16 seconds ago. Slappity slap.
Go on. You know you want to.
-Dave

Your soul...it tastes like chicken

Official Website Postponed
Andy Igoe
22
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Joined: 6th Oct 2002
Location: United Kingdom
Posted: 6th May 2004 16:25
This is currently happening to my parents, a £300 telephone bill to premium rate numbers - some international.

The police have been informed but dont care even though I gave them copies of the spyware, the MX records of the emails they came in on, and traces a few of the telephone numbers for them.

ICSTIS (the UK body for the governing of premium rate numbers) just haven't replied to anything at all.

OFTEL (the UK telephone watchdog) say that it is an ICSTIS issue.

BT say pay up or be disconnected.

I could write a dialler in 15 mins, I could make it a virus or spyware with a night or perhaps a few days effort. I could register an 0898 number for it, but actually, i'm tempted to just use the number of my local police station...


God created the world in 7 days, but we're still waiting for the patch.
Dave J
Retired Moderator
21
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Joined: 11th Feb 2003
Location: Secret Military Pub, Down Under
Posted: 6th May 2004 16:57
Have you tried getting Adaware or Spybot to see if it can detect a dialler?


"Computers are useless they can only give you answers."
Megaton Cat
21
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Joined: 24th Aug 2003
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posted: 6th May 2004 20:03
Hey thanks for the help guys, my butt's on the line. I'll check it out as soon as I get home. And I think your being a bit unreasonable...you can't simply NOT PAY a bill.... The phone company has our credit card...they help themselves every month, but I think someone should definatly do something about it. This stupid thingss dials wehn you aren't home!


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Fallout
22
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Joined: 1st Sep 2002
Location: Basingstoke, England
Posted: 6th May 2004 20:16
Turn your computer off then, when you're not at home. I know you shouldn't have to, but it's a solution! Think green! Think powersaving! *wink, sparkly teeth, cheesey ad style*

Signature? No! Obsolete! These days it's all about chip and pin!
Jeku
Moderator
21
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Joined: 4th Jul 2003
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Posted: 6th May 2004 21:45
Or... just.... get broadband.....

Shadow Robert
22
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Joined: 22nd Sep 2002
Location: Hertfordshire, England
Posted: 6th May 2004 22:13
lol@fallout
he really should be doing that anyway, it keeps them nice and healthy to boot them down once a day for atleast an hr.

the solution here really is to simply block numbers.
when my brother used to live with me, the bugger would make international calls to people for like an hr at a time and not be willing to pay up for phonebills that quite frankly were ridiculous.
To stop it, got the phone company to install a special code to activate long-distance & international.
most phone companies do it, but for a small charge.

what i would strongly suggest here is take the number; and find out who's number it is... then report this number.
If it is the internet dialer doing it, then $50 is that it is an illegal practise company and you can let the police handle it.
If not them your parents have some esplaining to do


AthlonXP 2500+ | 256MB DDR PC2700 | GeForce FX 5200 44.04 | DirectX 9.0 | Audigy2 | Crystal Clean OS
zircher
21
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Joined: 27th Dec 2002
Location: Oklahoma
Posted: 6th May 2004 22:42 Edited at: 6th May 2004 22:46
Hopefully one of the tools mentioned above will detect the malware and prove that you did not make the call. Disconnecting the phone line from the computer is the best insurance.

Here's a scary thought... does your phone have an external junction box? Some scum bag could be creeping around at night and plugging in to your junction box and making the call. Easy way to steal money from people. Just go around the neighborhood at 2 AM and make as many calls as possible. All you need is a screw driver and a handset so you can dial out. (Use speed dial and you can be in and out in a few minutes even in the dead of night.)

Maybe you should ask your neighbors if they have similar charges?
--
TAZ

Lord Ozzum
21
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Joined: 29th Oct 2003
Location: Beyond the Realms of Death
Posted: 7th May 2004 00:47
police never admit they're wrong, they'll find something stupid and say some bullsh!t

You forgot to read your fortune cookie. It says you're sh!t out of luck.
Welcome to the Electric Funeral!!!
Mattman
21
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Joined: 5th Jun 2003
Location: East Lansing
Posted: 7th May 2004 03:28
ouch megaton, that really hurts. This doesn't help your current situation, does it?

Good luck to ya,
Matt
indi
22
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Joined: 26th Aug 2002
Location: Earth, Brisbane, Australia
Posted: 7th May 2004 03:36
Hijackthis is another great program to remove spyware and transponder components


fall down seven times, stand up eight
Tapewormz
22
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Joined: 15th Sep 2002
Location: Winnipeg, Mantoba, Canada
Posted: 7th May 2004 03:41 Edited at: 7th May 2004 03:43
Quote: "Does like bu115hit to me. If i was you, i'd refuse to pay the bill."


The call originated from his number. If their computer dialed the number or not...That's not the responsability of the service provider to determine. It's the responsability of the customer to ensure that they don't have any spyware on thier computer and if they do, for crying out loud...don't have a dialup modem connected to the phone jack.

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But it is murder. REVENGE!!!!!!!!!"

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UnderLord
21
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Joined: 2nd Aug 2003
Location:
Posted: 7th May 2004 07:11
<----- has cable =)

The search continues.

Current project - A space game
AluminumPork
21
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Joined: 28th Oct 2003
Location: Duluth, MN, USA
Posted: 7th May 2004 07:24
<------ has cable too w/ no phone line attached =)

P4 2.4Ghz HT, 512MB RAM, ATI Radeon 9600 128MB, 19" Viewsonic, 80GB HD

Lord Ozzum
21
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Joined: 29th Oct 2003
Location: Beyond the Realms of Death
Posted: 7th May 2004 07:28
<-----------has cable as well and laughes at those who don't

You forgot to read your fortune cookie. It says you're sh!t out of luck.
Welcome to the Electric Funeral!!!
indi
22
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Joined: 26th Aug 2002
Location: Earth, Brisbane, Australia
Posted: 7th May 2004 07:34
<--- cable here but chuckles at people who cant spell laughs


fall down seven times, stand up eight
Lost in Thought
20
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Joined: 4th Feb 2004
Location: U.S.A. : Douglas, Georgia
Posted: 7th May 2004 09:08
Someone needs to write a program that locks down modem hardware until it is ran so you have to run it for the modem to be used. Or I could hook you up with a 2 pole relay and a light switch. You just turn it on to use modem and turn it off when not in use. If I make one to sell, I wonder if anyone will buy it?

"People don't fail ..... they stop trying." Specs. P4 2.8GHz 800 FSB | 512MB DDR333
GeForce FX 5200 AGP 256MB | Windows XP Pro Full
DivW
21
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Joined: 31st Jul 2003
Location: Scotland
Posted: 7th May 2004 13:03
Point taken, it's gonna be pretty hard to prove that it wasn't your fault. Then again, if it was my auntie then she'd probably have £50 compensation money by now (i tell ya, she's a machine of some sort). I have a cable modem, and it's a good thing too i guess. Good luck sorting it out.

-Dave

Your soul...it tastes like chicken

Official Website Postponed
flibX0r
21
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Joined: 14th Feb 2003
Location: Western Australia
Posted: 7th May 2004 14:51
<--- Person who actually turns off their computer

I actually connect to me dodgy dialup through a laptop, so its a firewall, and even if i had any spyware dialers, they wouldn't dial up cos they can't from this computer

Benjamin
22
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Joined: 24th Nov 2002
Location: France
Posted: 7th May 2004 16:24
Megaton, does this mean u'll not have your pc back any time soon? DAMN YOUR STUPID COMPUTER!!!

Or imagine the cries "RUN FAR" on a packed trainer! Somebody fizzing with the mouth becoming insane absolutely having an adjustment ROFLFLF
Lord Ozzum
21
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Joined: 29th Oct 2003
Location: Beyond the Realms of Death
Posted: 8th May 2004 01:45
<--------laughs at self as well

You forgot to read your fortune cookie. It says you're sh!t out of luck.
Welcome to the Electric Funeral!!!
indi
22
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Joined: 26th Aug 2002
Location: Earth, Brisbane, Australia
Posted: 8th May 2004 04:04
this is why its important to be vigilant with virii and spyware applications, at least dial up users. run them at least once a week or at best have them automatically run at certain periods so its easier to be reminded.

@ ozzum


fall down seven times, stand up eight
Lord Ozzum
21
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Joined: 29th Oct 2003
Location: Beyond the Realms of Death
Posted: 8th May 2004 04:32 Edited at: 8th May 2004 04:34
when I was 7 I had dial-up. I loved it. mainly because I didn't know there was anything faster. but Megaton, I'm sorry about that happening, but ultimately you can't disprove yourself, cops will always be stubborn and go with them...well, if youi live in aMerica, Mom's boyfriend's a private investigator, but I think you're in Canada
EDIT: thanks for pointing out how to spell "laughs", indi. I never knew it didn't have an "e" in it

You forgot to read your fortune cookie. It says you're sh!t out of luck.
Welcome to the Electric Funeral!!!
DrakeX
22
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Joined: 26th Aug 2002
Location:
Posted: 8th May 2004 06:29
"I never knew it didn't have an "e" in it"

cause it just sounds so much like it has an 'e' in it

alright, give him the stick -- DON'T GIVE HIM THE STICK!!

"Bouncy bouncy lock." - TheCodingArea
Lord Ozzum
21
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Joined: 29th Oct 2003
Location: Beyond the Realms of Death
Posted: 8th May 2004 06:47
you're so mean
j/k, but lots of words when pluralised have "e"s added to it

You forgot to read your fortune cookie. It says you're sh!t out of luck.
Welcome to the Electric Funeral!!!
Benjamin
22
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Joined: 24th Nov 2002
Location: France
Posted: 8th May 2004 14:16 Edited at: 8th May 2004 14:18
But 'laughs' is not plural. Verbs can not be plural

Or imagine the cries "RUN FAR" on a packed trainer! Somebody fizzing with the mouth becoming insane absolutely having an adjustment ROFLFLF
Neofish
20
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Joined: 7th Apr 2004
Location: A swimming pool of coke
Posted: 8th May 2004 16:09
<--- hasnt got cable

BTW PCs take up more energy and therefore money booting up and down, leaving them on is cheaper and therefore more energy efficient (thats is if u use PCs as much as i do, i come home at 5 and leve the PC on till bout 1 )


Benjamin
22
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Joined: 24th Nov 2002
Location: France
Posted: 8th May 2004 16:18
Quote: "leaving them on is cheaper and therefore more energy efficient "

I really doubt that

Or imagine the cries "RUN FAR" on a packed trainer! Somebody fizzing with the mouth becoming insane absolutely having an adjustment ROFLFLF
David T
Retired Moderator
22
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Joined: 27th Aug 2002
Location: England
Posted: 8th May 2004 16:25
<---- has no cable, has satellite!

<---- thinks cable is for those who want their road dug up

Neofish
20
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Joined: 7th Apr 2004
Location: A swimming pool of coke
Posted: 8th May 2004 16:30
it is more energy efficent IF u use it lots but when u leave for ten minutes u turn it off, like im told to, it is for ESPECIALLY at night


Neofish
20
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Joined: 7th Apr 2004
Location: A swimming pool of coke
Posted: 8th May 2004 17:04
i live in the garage and im nocturnal


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