HARRISBURG, Pa., Jan. 11 -Pennsylvania customers who have fallen prey to computer scams that led to unauthorized international long distance charges can now receive refunds or credits on their phone bills due to agreements between the Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate (OCA) and three companies: USBI, Telliss and One Call Communications. Current and former Pennsylvania consumers who paid unauthorized long distance charges will be eligible to receive a credit or refund for any amounts that they paid to their local telephone companies or to USBI, One Call and Telliss directly.
USBI, Telliss and One Call Communications are implementing this policy in Pennsylvania due to agreements with the Office of Consumer Advocate governing the handling of complaints from Pennsylvania customers who may be victims of various Internet "modem hijacking" schemes that generate unauthorized international toll charges. According to Consumer Advocate Sonny Popowsky, the settlement is similar to a prior agreement between the OCA and Verizon under which more than 2,000 consumers have received a total of approximately $200,000 in refunds.
Modem hijacking affects some computer users who use dial-up Internet access. These scams can occur when a computer user clicks on a pop-up ad or responds to a spam e-mail. These actions can trigger a download of an automatic dialer program to the customer's computer - which may automatically dial international long distance phone numbers without the customer's knowledge. The charges for the calls can amount to as much as $8 per minute for lengthy and frequent calls to little-known foreign locations such as Tuvalu and the Cook Islands or to more common destinations such as the United Kingdom. As a result, international long distance charges of hundreds or even thousands of dollars can appear on the customer's monthly phone bill.
Under the agreements with the OCA, after receiving a modem hijacking complaint directly from a customer or from the OCA, or another government agency to which the customer has complained (such as the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, the Federal Trade Commission or the Federal Communications Commission), USBI, Telliss and One Call Communications will issue a credit for 100 percent of the modem hijacking charges that appear on the customer's telephone bill, and will make no further effort to collect the charges. The three companies will also issue refunds for prior payments of contested international toll charges that resulted from modem hijacking.
Any present or former Pennsylvania customer who has complained about this type of unauthorized charge to the OCA or another government agency will receive a credit or refund for the billed charges caused by the scam. In addition, present and former Pennsylvania customers who did not previously lodge complaints with a government agency can do so now, or contact the OCA directly, and will be eligible to receive a credit or refund for any modem hijacking charges, upon verification.
Customers in Pennsylvania who believe that their current or any prior telephone bills have included modem hijacking charges can contact the OCA toll-free at (800) 684-6560 to see if they qualify for a bill adjustment or refund. Former customers now living outside of Pennsylvania can call the OCA at (717) 783-5048. The OCA will assist customers in obtaining any credits or refunds to which they are entitled under these agreements.
All consumers - particularly those who use dial-up modems - can take preventive action to better protect themselves from these scams and unexpected charges that may result.
Here are the key points to consider:
-- Carefully read all the terms and conditions of any offer before
downloading anything to your computer. Unless you fully understand
everything you are agreeing to, do not accept the download.
-- Contact a reputable software vendor about programs that block pop-up
ads ("pop-up blockers"), and identify and remove the types of programs
that may be associated with modem hijacking scams.
-- Disconnect the telephone line to your modem when the modem is not in
use.
Copies of the Settlement Agreement with USBI, Telliss, and One Call Communications are available on the OCA Website at http://www.oca.state.pa.us.
