Modem Jacking

Overview

Imagine opening up your telephone bill one day to see yourself being billed for long distance call charges you did not make. And the telecom company insists that these are legitimate calls made by you and you would have to honour the charges. This is a reality for many Internet people across the world.

What is Modem Jacking?

Modem Jacking is also commonly known as Modem Hijacking, Internet Dumping or Dialer Hacking. Instead of dialing to your local dial-up number, the new dialer disconnects you from your local dial-up connection and reconnect you to an overseas number (thereby incurring IDD charges) or another expensive phone line (e.g. an overseas 1900 number) which may charge up to hundreds of dollars per hour.

Who are affected?

The affected users are mainly confined to dial-up users who need to dial-in for Internet access. Broadband users (dial-up or otherwise) such as those listed below will not be affected:

How is it done?

While surfing Internet of a particular website, you could be prompted to download and install a dialer in your computer. In some cases, this dialer is automatically downloaded and installed in your computer. It can also occur when a consumer wants to make payment on the Internet. Instead of paying via credit card, the consumer prefers an alternative mode of payment. When he agrees to the payment offer, a file is downloaded and installed in his computer.

Once it is installed, your internet connection may be disconnected momentarily. When you are prompted to do a reconnection, this program will activate the new dialer and use that instead.

Which are the targeted websites?

Pornographic, gambling, games and music websites are the most common websites targeted by these scams. These scammers offer discreet billing via user’s telephone bill as the user is usually reluctant to give personal details at these sites.

What to look out for?

You are likely to be victimized through modem-jacking if a website contains one of these features:

• Enables your modem to re-dial on the Internet.
• Provides an alternative payment method which involves in the installation of software.
• Offers to bill you through your telecom company.

What are the precautions to take?

Some precautions to take are as follows:

• Be careful when you are prompted to download and install any file from the website. Read the Terms & Conditions before proceeding with the installation. Take note that by clicking on ‘I Agree’ and you are bounded by the contract.
• Turn on the modem volume so that you can hear it when it is dialing or redialing.
• When you get connected or reconnected to the Internet, check that you are connected to your local dial-up connection.
• If you ever find that your computer starts to dial without you clicking on the mouse, cancel the connection immediately. If necessary, pull out the telephone line from the modem.
• Educate those who are using your dial-up account on how to prevent modem-jacking.
• Consider blocking IDD access and barring all 1900 numbers on the telephone line used for Internet connection. Check it out with your telecom company.