Arabs warned about Guyana Internet catch
Guyana Chronicle
August 3, 2003
"You could end up with a phone bill for hundreds of dirhams for calls to places like Chile, Guyana, Sierra Leone or even Vanuatu in the Southwest Pacific."
By Ashfaq Ahmed
INTERNET surfers who like to 'go' to some 'entertainment' sites may end up paying hefty telephone bills.
Emirates Internet and Multimedia (EIM) has warned such web surfers and asked them to be careful while downloading sites that offer contents for 'free' as they may be connected to expensive long distance telephone calls.
A number of complaints about hefty telephone bills by Internet users have prompted the EIM to send this message in both Arabic and English to Internet users in the UAE (United Arab Emirates).
"Such 'deceptive' sites have been there for some time and we have been warning Net users time and again," an EIM official said, adding that net users are tempted to browse such sites because of the 'lucrative' contents or packages.
The EIM circular reads: "If you are surfing the web and come across an entertainment site that claims to offer content for "free" and doesn't require a credit card number for access, all you have to do is download a "viewer" or "dialer" programme, and since you're at the site to view content, downloading a "viewer" programme might make sense.
"But Emirates Internet and Multimedia would like to warn you that there's a catch: Once the programme is downloaded on to your computer, it disconnects the Internet connection you had and reconnects to an international long-distance phone number, at rates up to Dh25 per minute.
"You could end up with a phone bill for hundreds of dirhams for calls to places like Chile, Guyana, Sierra Leone or even Vanuatu in the Southwest Pacific."
Since these scams are so lucrative for the operators, officials said it may be only a matter of time before they appear on sites that feature games, psychics, information and other services.
Here's how net users can minimise their chances of downloading a "viewer" or "dialer" programme that could turn "free" content into an expensive mistake: Be skeptical when you see opportunities to view "free" content on the web. Free doesn't always mean free.
Clicking "OK" isn't always okay. Don't click OK unless you know exactly what you are agreeing to. Read online disclosures carefully. They may be hidden in very inconspicuous parts of the site and of small print.
Beware of any programme that enables the modem to re-dial to the Internet. If you see a dialog box on your computer indicating that it is dialing when you did not direct it to, cancel the connection and hang up. Check the number you're dialing and continue only if it's a local call.
As an additional safety measure, customers should utilise "00" barring on their telephone before connecting to the Internet in order to guarantee that a dialer will not function and will not be able to dial an international number through your telephone. - (Gulf News - online edition)
