We have received numerous reports on fraudulent IDD calls made
via an Internet connection
or commonly known as Internet Dumping or Modem Hijacking. The
following FAQ briefly
outlines some important facts about this so that you are aware
and you can keep a look out
for it. Q. What is Fraudulent
Internet IDD Connection?
A. Instead of dialing
in to your local SLTNet number, your computer dials in to
an overseas
umber thereby incurring IDD charges.
Q. Who does it affect?
A. Dial-up users who
have IDD access on the telephone line which is used to dial-in
to the
internet
Q. How it happens?
A. While surfing a
particular website, you may be prompted to download a file.
In some cases,
youare not prompted and the program is downloaded
automatically. Upon double-clicking
on the program's icon, you will be taken through
a normal program setup. This creates a
dialer (similar to your SLTNet dialer) in your
PC.
Q. What does it do?
A. Once the dialer
is installed, your Internet connection may be disconnected.
When you are
prompted to re-connect, the program causes the
re-connection to the new dialer instead of
your SLTNet dialer. The dialer will dial to
an overseas number thereby generating IDD calls.
Q. Through which websites
dialers can be downloaded?
A. The most common
websites targeted so far are pornographic, gambling, games
and music
sites.
Q. how can stop it?
A.
- Block IDD access on the telephone line used for the Internet
connection when accessing
Internet. You can easily request for a secret code to lock
your IDD facility from your
nearest Teleshop or from the Regional Telecom Office.
- Increase the Internet Security settings- Dialers are often
downloaded onto systems
using Internet Explorer through an ActiveX script. In Internet
Explorer, you can set
your Internet security settings to "medium" and
your computer will never download any
ActiveX Controls without your permission. This is the setting
recommended by Microsoft
for surfing the Internet. Just go to Tools -> Internet
Options -> Security -> Choose
Medium at the Bottom But it may not be enough not all dialers
are downloaded through
ActiveX scripts. They can be .exe files or straight compiled
code and not a script or control
of any kind.
- These programs that are downloaded without noticing may
run automatically when you
restart your computer. Please check for any unknown programs
in your auto start
programs and remove them from startup programs. Further
you may reconfirm the
currently installed programs through control panel >
add remove programs
- Be cautious when prompted to download and install files
from websites. Ensure that you
read the Terms & Conditions and any other material available
before proceeding with the
installation.
- When getting connected/ re-connected to the Internet,
always check and make sure that
you are connecting to SLTNet.
- Leave your Internet History files on your PC for a longer
time so that you are able to find
the site if necessary. You can do this by changing the expiry
date on your browser.
- Make sure you can hear your modem. Some people have a
volume control on their modem
and have it turned down - then you can't hear it redialing.
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