NEWS Telecoms regulator Icstis (Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services) has cut off 11 rogue diallers, after the watchdog received a spate of complaints from UK consumers who said they had been put onto premium rate dial-up connections without their knowledge.
Following a rise in the percentage of complaints that were internet-related about premium rate services - from 43 per cent in 2002 to 70 per cent in 2003 - earlier this year, Icstis took action on the issue of rogue diallers by stipulating any company wishing to operate a premium rate connection must register with the regulator first.
Now, the watchdog is shutting down any unregulated services it comes across and has barred the 11 rogue diallers from this week. It's also considering a similar move for 33 other companies.
The regulator has advised phone companies to cut off any premium rate dialler services using international numbers too.
Icstis has also published a new factsheet to help surfers avoid being fleeced on the internet.
The Irish communications regulator ComReg also took steps to block the rogue diallers by cutting off calls to 13 countries in the South Pacific. BT also joined in the fight by blocking 1,000 of the dialler lines.
Comments
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1. Dick Hertz
This is bad news. I often have to access the sites using these dialers to conduct my research. The dialers are the only way that I can do it because I don't have a credit card and when my wife sees the phone bill she just think the high charges are from her calls to the psychic hotline.
2. Alan Smith
Why are those rip off merchants not being prosecuted?
3. royston
not when shes sees your phonebill(itemised).the next paper youl see is a divorce paper. but i see your point. psychic lines cant see the future either.the thing i dont like is bt can block any premium numbers on request, but it seems that carriers( you know, pay bt a line rental and another company takes over the calls) it seems the other company cant block premium numbers ! i asked bt to block premium numbers and when another company took over the calls they unblocked it without telling me wich in my eyes is not good. dont know if this is the case everywhere. just a small point but worth mentioning.
4. anonymous
Thank goodness that these rogue dialers are being stopped and cut off, they cost me over £100.00 on my bt bill and were installed without my knowledge, i made a complaint to icstis and these numbers were being investigated back in August, i had to ask bt to put a block on my line to stop these numbers being dialled because it takes over yor your dialler for the isp but you think that you are dialling your free isp no.
5. anonymous
So you're lying to your wife and you expect us to pay the price - I think this is your problem
6. anonymous
I don,t have to lie to anybody, i don't gamble and i don't visit unsolicited site's, did you see the new's item on tv, about a lot of people's telephone bill's in 1 area at that specific quarter back in july where rogue diallers and premium rate numbers were used even an elderly couple had them on there phone bill, so yes this needs stopping now BEFORE IT GETS OUT OF HAND