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Date Posted: 21:44:03 05/24/04 Mon
Author: Media
Subject: Yvonne Zanos: Her computer dials up big trouble

Yvonne Zanos: Her computer dials up big trouble
Tuesday, May 25, 2004

By Yvonne Zanos


Q: My computer called New Zealand for a minute and then the Cook Islands in the South Pacific for 30 minutes. I had no idea until I received a $250 charge from Verizon for these international phone calls. I never made these calls. I never authorized these calls. Verizon says it's my fault. My computer is in the family room so I can supervise my children's activity. My children never authorized this. How can the phone company make me pay for what is obviously some kind of computer scam?


NOREEN BANDY
Peters Township

A: Verizon won't budge, Noreen. I find that surprising. Whether you get the charge forgiven seems to depend on your long-distance company. AT&T forgives the charge the first time it happens, gives you some tips on how to keep this from happening again, and only if it happens a second time does the consumer have to pay. Much more consumer-friendly, considering these computer-generated calls are listed on the Federal Trade Commission's Web site as one of the top "dot cons."

That seems to be exactly what it is. You are at risk if you have a dial-up Internet connection. How does your computer make a long-distance call? It could start with a "cookie," information that a Web site delivers to the hard drive of your computer. It could come in as a "Trojan horse," malicious or harmful coding hidden in what appears to be harmless programs or data, or as a virus warning with a fix that you download.

Verizon takes the position that you must have accepted the terms and conditions of an offer and didn't read the fine print. We won't know for sure what company or person is behind it until the FBI finishes its investigation. The cybercops have agreed to try to track these calls by looking at the history of usage stored in your computer.

Verizon's Lee Gierczynski says if the customer doesn't pay, Verizon will have to pay. That, says Gierczynski, increases the costs of doing business. At least 300 other Verizon customers have complained about the same problem. To protect your phone bill from your computer, call your long-distance company and ask to have an international block put on your computer phone line. No charge, more protection against the bad guys. Check with your Internet service provider and make sure you are doing all you can to protect your computer from scams.

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