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BEWARE TELEPHONE FRAUD & COMPUTER MISUSE
This is to advise you of the latest fraud hitting users of fixed
lines and mobiles, according to a communication received from the
Police. We also include information of more established frauds and,
common problems arising from careless use of computers.
1. Upon answering the telephone, you may hear a recorded message
congratulating you on winning an all expenses trip to an exotic
location. You will then be asked to press 9 to hear further
details. If you press 9 you will be connected to a premium rate
line. Even if you disconnect immediately, it will remain connected
for a minimum of 5 minutes, and could cost you around £100. The
final part of the call involves you being asked to key your post
code and house number (which may have other serious consequences).
After a further 2 minutes you will receive a message informing you
that you are not one of the lucky winners. The total bill could be
£260. Since the calls are originating from outside the UK, BT and
other telephone service providers such as ourselves are left
powerless to act. The only safe solution is to HANG UP before the
message prompts you to press 9; even safer is to HANG UP on any
unsolicited 'free offer' call. This appears to be a variation on a
theme, warnings have been sent previously regarding calls made by
individuals claiming to be engineers conducting a test on the line
and asking for 9, 0# and text messages similar to the routine
described above. DO NOT DIAL 9 (or 9,0# or 0,9#) FOR ANYONE ! BT
has been contacted and they confirm the details are true.
2. Be aware that any 09 number is a premium rate line, and will
probably cost you more than you think. Upon your specific request
we can bar all 09 calls from your line, or more specifically you
can bar your computer from sending any internet calls to us.
"Rogue 09" calls are a growing menace for dial-up
accounts {not Broadband) on the internet, only now receiving
official attention. You can unwittingly trigger a change in your
dial-up number by visiting certain internet sites or following
certain links. This may cause you to run up a large bill for calls
to an 09xxx premium line number. When we discover evidence of this
activity we immediately advise our customers, but this can be up to
5 weeks after the rogue calls start. We cannot reimburse you, as
none of our telecom carriers will accept responsibility for these
calls.
3. Normal 0845 calls to the internet can be a problem if the
computer does not time-out and cut the call. ISP's make money out
of receiving 0845 calls, so in general none of them operate any
sort of time-out. Our carriers do operate a very long time-out,
which does provide ultimate protection from massive charges, but
this protection does not help much in instances where the computer
persists in dialing, and staying connected, until carrier time-out.
Our advice is always to check your computer is off-line, when not
in use. On Windows machines Start, Control Panel, Network, will
show you what is currently connected. We can do nothing about such
charges, as we have no control over what traffic you send us.
"
And finally a real nasty, also advised by the Police, applying
mainly to mobile phone users. A missed call comes up. The number is
0709 020 3840. The last four numbers may vary but certainly the
first four numbers, 0709, will be consistent. If you call this
number back, you will be charged £50 per minute. People have
complained about their phone bills, once they have realised the
cost of the call, but apparently this is completely legal. So
beware, do not call, or call back, any numbers beginning with 0709.
From any phone.
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