Telkom warns against bandwidth theft
With rogue dialling and bandwidth theft appearing to be on the increase globally Telkom is urging customers to be on the lookout for these fraudulent crimes and take precautionary measures to protect themselves.
Says Thokozani Mvelase, Acting Executive of TARPS (Telkom Asset and Revenue Protection Services): “Rogue dialling, which is an executable software programme which is downloaded onto a client’s computer while he or she is surfing the Internet, is a direct cost to the customer.”
Mvelase explains that this piece of software will drop the connection to the Internet Service Provider (ISP), dial an international number and then restore the connection to the website which the client was surfing before the ISP call was dropped.
Even the sound of the modem is muted so that the client is unaware of what is happening and continues to surf the net, resulting in a long call at international rates.
Bandwidth theft affects ADSL customers. It takes place when a fraudster gains access to the customer’s ISP account. A software programme downloads the default username and password which comes with the newly purchased ADSL hardware.
If the legitimate customer does not change and personalise the default username and password, the fraudster can steal the bandwidth capacity of the client. This not only affects the client’s ability to continue accessing e-mail or the Internet, but often necessitates the purchase of additional bandwidth.
Mvelase says that if the Internet is used on a daily basis, the customer would notice bandwidth theft immediately as they would not be able to access the Internet.
However, victims of rogue diallers often fail to notice any fraudulent activity until they receive their monthly accounts, and then only if the bill is unusually high and includes international call charges which they haven’t made.
Telkom says that “as computers and modems are customers’ own property, they are liable for the costs incurred in these crimes.”
Telkom points out that to assist in detecting incidences, it has a fraud management system in place which monitors calling behaviour of all clients. This will raise an alarm should the calling profile change.
One intervention measure Telkom takes is to remove international dialling should it detect international calls being made continuously to a destination which the customer has never previously called.
Telkom also urges victims of bandwidth theft to report the crime to the South African Police Services (SAPS), who will then contact the relevant ISP for detailed records to assist them in their investigation. While no statistics are available, there have been a number of successes resulting in perpetrators being fined, Telkom said.
“But, the best advice we can give to customers is to take all precautionary measures, as fraud can be largely avoided. Customers should also be vigilant so that corrective action can be taken as soon as possible if they fall victim to these crimes,” says Mvelase.
Dial-up customers should ensure that they have the appropriate virus detection software installed and that the firewalls are active.
Mvelase’s advice to customers if they do notice anything suspicious is to drop the connection immediately by unplugging the modem and then re-establishing the connection to the ISP.
“Keep an eye on the connection status icon in the quick launch toolbar situated at the bottom of the screen, because when the dialup connection to the ISP is released it can be seen there.”
To prevent bandwidth theft, the installation of the DSL modem should include a change of the default username and password – it comes from the factory with a default username and password and this will be held in the modem if not changed.
Therefore, to prevent bandwidth theft, the customer must ensure the modem is secure by simply putting their own username and password into the modem and not leaving the default username and password. In addition, they should use reputable anti-virus and anti-spyware programs.
All Telkom ADSL users are able to log onto the Telkom ADSL website http://www.telkom.co.za/athome/products/dsl/index.html and select usage tracker, where they will be able to check their usage.
Concludes Mvelase: “By taking preventative measures, fraudsters will find it much harder to gain access. Together with ISPs and our customers, we can overcome this problem and put an end to these unscrupulous practices.”
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