Dialer and Spyware information
Merge Internet will install the Spyware Removal Tools listed below and scan and clean up your machine.
Merge Customers: $30.00
Non Customer: $45.00
Or try these free
anti-spyware tools.
Spy SweeperHome Page
Download From: Webroot.com
*Update* Spysweeper no longer removes detected spyware, unless you pay for it
Windows Defender
Home Page, and Download
Spybot -
Seach & Destroy.
Home Page
Download From:
Download.com
Ad Aware
Home Page
Download From:
Download.com
Spyware Blaster
Home Page
MajorGeeks.com
New CRTC ruling on 900, 976 charges:
Phone companies *cannot* disconnect service for unpaid 900 charges, must waive disputed charges, and must offer 900 number blocking free of charge on the first request.For more information, see this article.
Mystery Long Distance Charges.
Since the later part of April, we've had a fairly large number of subscribers call us with questions about long distance charges - particularly to places like Nauru and Sao Tome - appearing on their bills. Quite often, they call us after first speaking to Bell Canada, at which time they are referred to their internet provider with the explanation that "Those are Internet charges."This is not correct. In fact, if they tell you this, please call Phonebusters and mention that.
Neither Merge Internet, nor any of the other Internet Providers have the ability to add charges to your telephone bill. Only the phone company, and the long distance providers that they have contracts with, can do that.
So where did the charge come from?
These charges are generated by software called a "third party dialer." These are usually something that you've download to your computer without realizing what it was or what it would actually do. So far, we've had very little success in determining what web sites people are getting these from, because they usually have no idea themselves. But we've heard of at least one "Psychic Online" web site from Ireland that offers "free" psychic readings - all you have to do is click here to download our software. Once you do that, you've infected your machine with their third party dialer. Now, when you actually try to go to that site for your reading, the dialer program hangs up your internet connection - you're no longer connected to Merge - and places a direct dialed long distance call to a computer overseas - usually Sao Tome or Nauru. That charge will show up on your next phone bill.
Now - that's actually one of the nicer ones we've seen. We had a subscribers machine in here last week, so that we could have a look at it to see what might be causing his long distance charges. What we found was "adware" on his machine. Adware is software that generates and displays pop-up windows full of advertising, anytime you are on the internet - and sometimes even when you aren't. It's also referred to as "spyware" for a couple of reasons - first, it hides itself on your machine, and usually you don't even know you've downloaded it, and second, because it has the ability to pass information on your internet use, and browsing habits, back to the source of the spyware. In the case of this particular subscriber, the adware had one particular pop-up ad that automatically attempted to install a third party dialer. The only reason we even saw it was that he had set windows security to not allow Active-X controls to automatically install, therefore Windows asked us if we wanted to install it.
So, it seems that the two types of aggravating software are starting to work together. Adware opens a door, and third party dialers are taking advantage of it. So we need to correct both problems. On the left side of this page there are links to some programs that will find this malicious software if it's on your machine, and that will help you avoid being reinfected. Use all of them - each works a little differently then the others, and finds different things. Run Ad Aware and Spybot to clean any existing baddies off your machine, then run Spyware Blaster to help prevent reinfection.
Once you've done all that, what can you do about the bill? That seems to depend on what kind of mood the person you speak to at Bell is in. We've heard everything from people having the charges removed completely, to having them reduced by half, all the way to only a 1/3rd reduction. The fact is that Bell is very much aware of this fraud. The telephone companies involved in this sort of billing claim about 25% of the billing - with the company that owns the wire getting the larger share. If Bell can talk you into paying any of it, they are making money from fraud. They claim there is no solution to this problem, but as we see it, if Bell were to stop routing calls to an island with an over 15 year old population of less then 100,000 that would soon encourage Sao Tome to investigate.
Take Action!
Act on those long distance charges you might have received. Report the fraud to the O.P.P. Phonebusters fraud department.Phonebusters
Home Page
Phone: 1-888-495-8501
Fax : -888-654-9426
Talk to the right people at Bell to get the charges removed.
Executive office of customer relations: 1-800-267-7734
I've been told this has changed to: 1-866-317-3382
Toronto Star Articles:
Mystery Calls removed from phone bill.
Mystery Calls hard to fight.
New Toronto Sun Article
Phone Fraud Fury
NEW
Class action suit vs BellFor information on joining a class action lawsuit against Bell, in regards to these charges on your long distance bill, see:
Class Action
