What kind of virus, or viruses can make expensive phone calls in your name?

[Maurice]

I have heard that high cost phone calls, [in this country, 0900 numbers] can be made in your name, if you have a certain virus. Can someone tell me which kinds of virus can do this?

Thanks, Maurice.

 

[MrGaribaldi]

I'd rather call it malware than virus, but..

You'll mostly come across them on "free" pr0n pages which needs you to download something for free access.

Of course, if you don't have an analogue modem or ISDN card you're safe...

 

[Maurice]

Thanks, Mr Garibaldi, I too was a big fan of Babylon 5, & am enjoying the new off-shoot, not sure what you mean, when you say that your system specs are "Babylon 5",....tongue in cheek humour??

Not sure of your terminology, as in "prOn pages"

I don't think I have an analogue modem, mine is a 56K INT PCI V92, taken from the specs print-out I was given, even to me, that doesn't sound analogue [?] & I don't think I have an ISDN card, not listed in the specs, anyway.

Maurice.

 

[RealBlackStuff]

Yours IS an analogue modem, it is being used with analogue equipment such as telephones.

prOn is where e.g. frolicking happens (reverse r and O).

If you never let any website install anything on your PC (other perhaps than Microsoft or Macromedia stuff) you should be OK.

 

[MrGaribaldi]

Ok, you've got an analogue modem (any 56k or lower modem is analogue).

"pr0n pages" means pages with pornographic content. Some of these offer free access to their content, "only" requiring you to download a little program which then calls a very expensive number.

So chances are very slim that you will have much problem with this unless you fall for a scheme like that.

It could be spread as a virus, but then it'd be much easier to get at the person behind, as (s)he would then've done something illegal, as opposed to tricking someone.

 

[Maurice]

Thanks, folks, I'll follow your advice.

Why I asked in the first place was that, I went to BT.com, to see my call charges so far, this quarter, I do this 2 or 3 times, the amount was large, but I expected that, as I had phoned the Breathe Support line three times, a 50p a minute connection, think I told you that the first two times, I was told two different things to try, one failed, the second worked for a while, the third call, they admitted that the faults were not at my end, but theirs, on the change-over to Breathe, they experienced loads of problems, especially with outgoing mail, [ring any bells?] said it was possibly due to duplication of old accounts, in other words, W.H.Smithnet got their sums wrong, [my words]

But I had a thought, what if it wasn't only the 0903 calls, making my bill larger?, hence the query about viruses pushing up the cost.

I'm about to post a new thread regarding Webmail, [knew you'd be pleased!] , as an experiment, I sent an email from there, but back on OE, it was returned undelivered. On my new thread, I'm asking how to negotiate the Webmail site, there isn't a lot of help there.

Maurice.

 

[MrGaribaldi]

Hehe, you're welcome

And we'll see if we can't help you with the new/other problem too