Eircom Phantom call charges

gnol

Eircom have charged me for phone calls to Diego Garcia, Liechtenstein and a satellite phone. Over €1,000 in all. I never made those calls. Eircom's explanation is that "these calls were made thought the Internet through your telephone line". I know of one other Eircom customer who has the same problem. If Eircom are aware of this type of activity, why don't they stop it or at least warn their customers about it. I can get no satisfaction out of Eircom and they will not make a refund. Has anyone else got this problem? Has anyone a solution?

Asok

What has happened here is that you have had a porn dialer installed on your system probably without you even knowing about it. Eircom know it happens alot so have created a hugely overpriced band for charging for the calls to the locations these dialers call. Some of the other lads will be able to give you more information /me looks at muck

here are some threads which may have more information

http://aplus.sytes.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=156408&highlight=dialer


http://aplus.sytes.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=66149&highlight=dialer

spongebob

The Porn Dialler or Porn Dialer issue is well covered in this thread . Here .

If you want to do something about it then PM me.

HTH

M

seamus

Right folks,
I'm going to use this thread to gather up sources of info for people about this stuff, then make a sticky.

Let's not degrade this into a thread full of "You're an idiot, you should have been protected" or "Tough luck, stop looking at porn sites". Just useful info, thanks.

Two from me
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=165362&highlight=Dialer
http://www.comreg.ie/_fileupload/publications/cg07.pdf

parsi

Sorry Seamus...

Useful tools:

Spybot http://security.kolla.de/

ad-aware : http://www.lavasoft.de/

(both remove spyware etc)

Sygate Personal Firewall http://soho.sygate.com/default.htm

gnol

Thanks for all the replies. Seems like I must grin and bear it. For the record, I am a Norton subscriber and my virus protection is always up to date. I also have up to date anti spyware and addware software. I have spent the last 20 years or so working is software development and I don't access porn sites, although as you know they can pop up from anywhere. So, I know what I am doing. In fact, I re-install my operating system every 6 months or so to make sure my PC is clean.

I still think Eircom (including my ISP - Eircom.net) are guilty of criminal negligence.

Sleipnir

Then you should let Eircom know by changing your ISP (which will save you money too) and changing your voice-calls provider if you haven't already done so (which will also save you money!)

eth0_

Originally posted by gnol

I still think Eircom (including my ISP - Eircom.net) are guilty of criminal negligence.

So contact a solicitor. I find it hard to believe someone as tech savvy as you must be as a software developer, didn't notice DUN dialling some crazy access number, though.

You've no chance of getting your money back from Eircom. They must get complaints about porn diallers every day, and they never back down. They don't "have" to notify customers if there's erratic behaviour on their phones - it'd be nice if they did, but they're under no obligation, which means that unfortunately you are screwed.

You can probably report the incident to whoever provided the porn dialler people with their access number, but i'm guessing places like Diego Garcia aren't too bothered :-/

HelterSkelter

Originally posted by eth0_
Eircom will not refund you, nor should they. It's not their job to babysit customers and ring them if they're making phone calls they don't usually make.

Eircon won't even allow you to bar calls to these "Band 13" numbers. They are taking full advantage of this scam.

eircomtribunal

gnol,

Don't grin and bear and do not pay up for the phantom charges.

I don't understand why your thread was closed.

Please pm me or mail me at "info at eircomtribunal.com". Please do so, even if you are not interested in anything further - just to let me know you got my message.

In any way:

Ask Eircom to take the amount of the "phantom calls" out of your bill, as you dispute them, for at least as long as the matter is not cleared up.
This is a reasonable request, which they should not reject. BT recommends this to its customers.

Contact Minister Mary Hanafin,( email her private secretary Carl Gibney carl.gibney@taoiseach.gov.ie ), explain the matter and ask for assistance.
Inform as well the Department of Communications, email directly to Dermot Ahern ( minister@dcmnr.gov.ie ), the Director for Consumer affairs in Comreg Bobby Hannon ( bobby.hannon@comreg.ie ) and the head of the Irish Consumer Association Dermott Jewell ( dermott.jewell@consumerassociation.ie ) and ask them for assistance.
Ahern and Hanafin and Comreg should act decisively – and will want to be seen to act – to make sure this modem hijacking scam and Eircom's profiteering on it, is not another hurdle for Internet users in Ireland.

This stinking scam - most of the 1000 euro bill from Eircom is their profiteering on you getting done by criminals - is ripe to explode soon.
The Irish Media are now ready to take up the issue.

Eircom, in collusion with ComReg, is engaging in unregulated credit facilitation, that is in breach of the Irish money lending legislation.
Eircom are deliberately and in a planned way profiteering from internet criminals:
They have set up a 360cent per minute international call band (you'll find no other Telco with such an exploitative pricing) to circumvent the strict regulation for premium services.
They have deliberately made sure that people do not opt out of International calls to protect themselves against modem hijacking, by introducing a punitive set-up charge and recurring monthly charge for international and Satellite telephone call barring.

Peter

spongebob

UK MPs just got in on the Act, there is a debate in parliament tomorrow about Porn Dialler scams which were described as a

"little more than a "criminal scam" designed to rip off innocent people."

Eircom are a British Company, time to write to the MP's about this

Story on The (indespensible) Register today.

I must email 'my' MP's, they would be Derek Wyatt the member for Sittingbourne and the Rt Hon Sir George Younger the member for NW Hants.

You could also contact ICSTIS who licence Premium Rate UK numbers to this British company Eircom ....... see Here and ask them to ensure that Eircom are compliant given their appalling record here .

M

eircomtribunal

gnol,

Seeing you are just on boards at the moment: I'd be really interested to contact you. Can you pm me or mail me at info@eircomtribunal.com?

Peter

seamus

threads rearranged at Peter's request