The services offered are wide-ranging and can include adult services, music downloads, chat lines, online games, weather reports, astrology readings, competitions, voting lines etc. Some people regard this as a convenient and discreet way of receiving content of this nature and compared to credit card usage, a safer mode of paying for access to it.
It is the responsibility of the phone line or toll account holder to control the use of the phone line and calls made on it.
How do diallers work?
Internet diallers have variations in how they appear and how they operate.
The purpose of a dialler is to disconnect you from your normal internet service provider and instruct your modem to dial out on an 0900 or international toll number. The dialler takes just a few seconds to download and may install itself as an icon on your desktop and/or in the start up menu on your computer.
In many cases, the user has to actively click a link to download the software. Your internet browser may open a new window asking you to agree to commence the installation process. Often users simply click 'YES' without actually reading the disclaimer or realising what it is. Some internet diallers automatically install themselves, taking advantage of the computer user's inattention.
Once downloaded, they may start up at the same time as the computer they are installed on, automatically establishing a connection. They will stay online as long as the computer is running. Some diallers will wait until the computer is idle before dialling out, or even configure the computer to turn on automatically and dial at times people are normally asleep, and not likely to discover that their computer is active.
Internet diallers can also be sent by email and are not clearly or easily recognizable. TelstraClear therefore advises users to carefully check email attachments originating from unknown sources.
What effect do internet diallers have on my phone account?
The charges from accessing 0900 services using internet diallers will appear on the account of your telephone line provider and the charges for toll calls using internet diallers on the account of your toll provider.
If you have received a charge on your phone bill of this nature, either you or someone using your phone has accessed this content on the internet. The telephone account holder or toll account owner is required to pay for the calls.
TelstraClear's Terms and Conditions Section 4 state that you will 'pay for all the services that we provide to you and charge to your account (even if somebody else uses those services, as such services will be treated as having been used by you) by the due date shown on your bill'.
Calls using 0900 numbers are usually automatically terminated when the user has had continuous access for 20 or 29 minutes. This is to keep you aware of the charges being incurred and is also why you may see calls of such duration on your bill.
International toll calls made by internet diallers however, have no limit as they are treated the same as other international toll calls.
What can I do to protect myself?
There are several things you can do to reduce the likelihood of downloading an internet dialler:
- Ensure you have the latest internet security software installed on your computer and keep it updated.
- Do not click on unknown links or links to sites offering "free" access.
You may find sites offering free access to something if you download their dialler. If you do, be aware that you may see a charge on your phone bill. - Increase your internet browser security settings.
- Turn off your computer and/or unplug the phone line connected to your computer when you are not using it or going away from your house.
- Add a toll bar with PIN code access.
