I'm an IT consultant. I've been getting some e-mail from a scammer
lately. He wants me to create some obnoxious malware phone dialer.
I've included his e-mails below.

Any advice on how to handle this?

Simon Arthur


> Hi
>
> I have found a program that does what I need please contact me and
> you can give me price on the changes need to fti my usage XXXX
>
> Simon Arthur wrote:
>
>> What is the web site?
>>
>> XXXXXXXX wrote:
>>
>>> Modem Project Software
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Purpose of the project is to create a software package that will
>>> be coexisting with the customers existing software that they use
>>> for a dial up service.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> The working program will do as the following:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> * Visitor will come to my web site and click on an agreement to
>>> use the site and that they are over 18 years of age.
>>>
>>> * Once they have clicked the agreement, the program will find out
>>> how they are connected to the internet--Such as cable, DSL or
>>> Dial up. Only if they use a dial up connection, a small program
>>> will be downloading to their computer. This program will do the
>>> following factions by it self or by downloading a more robust
>>> program the next time they heave to reboot.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> 1. The program will tell the computer modem program to dial our
>>> specific number the next time they heave to reboot. 2. Be small
>>> enough no to take over 5 to 40 seconds to download in the back
>>> ground while the client is visiting our site. 3. have the modem
>>> redial the number every 31 days, 4. have uninstall program
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> You can use existing software and modify it to these functions
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Contact
>>>
>>> XXXXXXX
>>>
>>> XXXXXXXX [at] aol.com
>>>
>>> 954-nnn-nnnn
>>>
>>>
>>

There is nothing special about the program, and it's also illegal in
many places. This is what we call a Dialer Virus - it will disconnect
the user, call their number, not let the user know about it, and ring up
huge phone call bills without the users permission.

You should report this person to the authorities.

--
--
spamfree999 [at] rrohio.com
(Remove 999 to reply to me)

Leythos <void [at] nowhere.org> wrote:

> There is nothing special about the program, and it's also illegal in
> many places. This is what we call a Dialer Virus - it will disconnect
> the user, call their number, not let the user know about it, and ring up
> huge phone call bills without the users permission.

Actually, Dialers aren't illegal as such... there even ARE legitimate
uses, for example for pay-per-view porn sites. It only becomes illegal
when users are trickes into installing them, and when the costs of the
connection aren't mentioned. Details on legality vary from country to
country, of course...

Juergen Nieveler
--
42? 7 and a half million years and all you can come up with is 42?!

In article <Xns95B2D4E025FEDjuergennieveler [at] nieveler.org>,
juergen.nieveler.nospam [at] arcor.de says...
> Leythos <void [at] nowhere.org> wrote:
>
> > There is nothing special about the program, and it's also illegal in
> > many places. This is what we call a Dialer Virus - it will disconnect
> > the user, call their number, not let the user know about it, and ring up
> > huge phone call bills without the users permission.
>
> Actually, Dialers aren't illegal as such... there even ARE legitimate
> uses, for example for pay-per-view porn sites. It only becomes illegal
> when users are trickes into installing them, and when the costs of the
> connection aren't mentioned. Details on legality vary from country to
> country, of course...

I think we just said the same thing :)

--
--
spamfree999 [at] rrohio.com
(Remove 999 to reply to me)

Leythos <void [at] nowhere.org> wrote:

>> Leythos <void [at] nowhere.org> wrote:
>>
>> > There is nothing special about the program, and it's also illegal
>> > in many places. This is what we call a Dialer Virus - it will
>> > disconnect the user, call their number, not let the user know about
>> > it, and ring up huge phone call bills without the users permission.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

>> Actually, Dialers aren't illegal as such... there even ARE legitimate
>> uses, for example for pay-per-view porn sites. It only becomes
>> illegal when users are trickes into installing them, and when the
>> costs of the connection aren't mentioned. Details on legality vary
>> from country to country, of course...
>
> I think we just said the same thing :)

With one subtle difference - see above ;-)

Of course, the required authorisation scheme to make sure people REALLY
WANT to install the dialer is still not enough to prevent braindead
lusers from installing a dialer without noticing. Currently, in .de the
requirement includes popping up a dialog box 3 times, where the user
has to manually enter the letters "O" and "K" in separate fields and
hit enter. There's actually people out there who will blindly do that
without bothering to read the text in the dialog boxes which by legal
requirement tells them exactly the cost of this dialer, etc... and just
to be sure that this isn't in the fine print, the legal requirement
even includes font sizes to be used for those boxes.

Juergen Nieveler
--
90% of being smart is knowing what you're dumb at