900 number billing bullshit

[Voltron87]

ok, so i get my phone bill. im getting 80 bucks for dialing some 900 number. it is over the computer. i definitely didnt dial it, im not stupid.

the number is 900 444 0308, and belongs to "webaccesszz". i googled the number and a whole bunch of links to complaints about that specific number came up, and i checked out the FTCs site on 900 numbers. I call my phone service, and they say "its from a company called information services. you downloaded a program that provides games, movies, chatrooms, etc..." I ask them what website, company, etc, specifics, but they give me bullshit. Everything is vague and theres no explanation.

i have a ton of poker internet programs, use neteller, the usual, but i am 100% sure this is spyware/scam. What is my play here?

[rlr]

Are you using dialup for you internet connection?

[Voltron87]

yes. i get it cheeep. i steal my neighbors highspeed as well, and use dialup as backup when my theft isnt coming through.

[rlr]

Sounds like a dialer.

You can check a site like A-Squared (they have a free w/ registration version and an online scan) for dialers/trojans etc. Obviously you should also scan your PC with some A/V.

I have never had this happen so I can't tell you what the best course of action is. Maybe someone else will know.

[Dynasty]

[ QUOTE ]
i steal my neighbors highspeed as well, and use dialup as backup when my theft isnt coming through.

[/ QUOTE ]

How ironic of you to complain about poetic justice.

[Voltron87]

im planning on just telling my phone company "i wont pay it, i contest it," etc. it probably is some kind of spyware dialer. i have some adblock stuff and some norton stuff and some mcafee stuff, plus some random spyware programs. i havent had any trouble with spyware or anythign like that in a while. i'll look up the new best stuff.

[Arnfinn Madsen]

I supplied phone infrastructure here, so I know about it although I don't know US' laws.

Some sort of program hijacks your computer and makes your PC phone a number. Your router asks the phone company to get access which your phone company provides. The phone company has done nothing wrong and have costs related to transfer etc. which you have put upon them. Pay and curse.

[Voltron87]

well im sure as hell not paying. ive looking on the FTCs website, and they clearly say to be billed for a 900 call you have to explicitly agree to it, and the terms have to be clear. if its a spyware/jacking thing, i obviously didnt agree and obviously dont have to pay under us law.

[Arnfinn Madsen]

Ok, good for you.

As a general advice to you and others. Dial up sucks as it comes to security, get DSL.

[Reef]

get this (http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-SE-Personal-Edition/3000-8022_4-10399602.html?tag=lst-0-2) , this (http://www.download.com/Spybot-Search-Destroy/3000-8022_4-10401314.html?tag=lst-0-1) , this, (http://www.download.com/SpywareBlaster/3000-8022_4-10396039.html?tag=lst-0-1) this (http://www.download.com/AntiVir-Personal-Edition/3000-2239_4-10322934.html?tag=lst-0-1) , and this (free version) (http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/catalog/products/sku_list_za.jsp?lid=dbtopnav_zass)

[Voltron87]

my dial up is ten bucks a month, i have it as back up.

[Voltron87]

do you not see the difference between scamming someone with a spyware program and using someone elses internet? im not saying what im doing is legal and kosher, but thats like comparing shoplifting to contract killing.

[FouTight]

The company I work for is Cable/Internet/Telephone, so I see this a lot.

You have little recourse but to pay it, the phone company may either easily credit your account or easily dismiss you and make you pay it, either way, it will probably be a quick process.

Ask the phone company to block 900 numbers, problem solved for the future.

[IndieMatty]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
i steal my neighbors highspeed as well, and use dialup as backup when my theft isnt coming through.

[/ QUOTE ]

How ironic of you to complain about poetic justice.

[/ QUOTE ]

[Voltron87]

I've been looking at all these FTC and FCC websites and there are a bunch of rules that look like they're in my favor.

I roughly quote: Under FCC regulations a phone company cannot disconnect your regular or long distance services if you dont pay a 900 number charge. However you could be blocked from making muture call to 900 numbers if you dont pay legitimate 900 number charges.

Also, theres something somewhere about how 900 companies have to make it clear youre making a 900 call, and the user has to agree to it. Obviously I didnt agree to it.

[astroglide]

[ QUOTE ]
As a general advice to you and others. Dial up sucks as it comes to security, get DSL.

[/ QUOTE ]

as a general advice to you, don't give general advice. there's nothing inherently secure about broadband, and it could easily be argued that it is worse by default. without a firewall, that is certainly the case. it's fast, it's always on, and it's in a known ip range.

- brute force password attacks or misc crack attempts are able to be executed at rapid speeds, improving the time to get into a less secure system by orders of magitude. furthermore, data stolen from or given to you will be done so at a much better speed.

- you are always reachable. even with a dynamic ip, yours will usually only change once a month minimum where dialup accounts are different every time you dial in.

- vulnerability scanners are most commonly run on blocks of ip addresses which are known to house broadband connections (scanning, say, the entire comcast new york ip space and that sort of thing).

broadband routers are common, but not ubiquitous. they are also not infallible. MANY people use broadband connections without them. many dialup isps offer firewalls, enforce the use of xp's own firewall, or block sensitive ingress ports related to file sharing, email/web serving, etc.

[Six_of_One]

Be aware that if you don't pay, it could screw up your credit. A friend of mine refused to pay for 1-900 calls that he didn't make, and it took years before his credit recovered.

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
What is my play here?

[/ QUOTE ]

Get rid of dial-up.

[FouTight]

[ QUOTE ]
Be aware that if you don't pay, it could screw up your credit. A friend of mine refused to pay for 1-900 calls that he didn't make, and it took years before his credit recovered.

[/ QUOTE ]

not to mention a strong possibility of disruption of service while in dispute.

Basically they are going to say that it was dialed from your house, and that was your agreement.

Good luck, do you have a big carrier or a local carrier? Verizon or such may be easier to work with, but a smaller company that has less customers may be more difficult to get your money back.

Look at it from the phone companies pov, they have to pay for it, and it's because of you, and you ARE responsible in some fashion, for not securing your computer well enough.

[Voltron87]

You were in the Navy, right jake? how much C4 am I going to need to blow up verizon's headquarters? I know it might be more than 80$ but its about the principle.

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
You were in the Navy, right jake?

[/ QUOTE ]

you're just lucky i like you.

[Voltron87]

what are you going to do, I don't live near any rivers or oceans. how can your boat get to me?

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
what are you going to do, I don't live near any rivers or oceans. how can your boat get to me?

[/ QUOTE ]

no. i wasn't in the navy.

[Voltron87]

cool, i wish i was in the air force too.

[[censored]]

[ QUOTE ]
You were in the Navy, right jake?

[/ QUOTE ]
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
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AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[[censored]]

your first play is to call your service provider and report what happened. go ahead do this before getting yourself all worked up.

next you need to get a number for the place charging you and call them if possible

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
cool, i wish i was in the air force too.

[/ QUOTE ]

that's o.k. i'm not the one stuck with the $80 phone bill. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Voltron87]

see, i call verizon (my provider) and ask them who the company is, etc, and they say "information services". I ask them what their website is, i get nothing, all theyll tell me is "information services". i googled the 900 # i supposedly called and a whole bunch of scam reports came up, ill look them up and see if they have a number.


jake did your planes have bombs on them? big enough to blow up verizon?

[[censored]]

Did you explain the situation to them? thats what I meant.

[Voltron87]

yeah. it was some low level person. ill call back again and ask to talk to someone higher up. this person just gave me the vague runaround.

[The Stranger]

[ QUOTE ]
yes. i get it cheeep. i steal my neighbors highspeed as well, and use dialup as backup when my theft isnt coming through.

[/ QUOTE ]

neighbors have wireless?