Remember to check your phone bills!

Dj_Jestar · 8 Jul 2014 at 14:47

My landline is never used (it's actually a bit annoying we have to have one at all) so when I received a bill for £180 I was taken a back.

Turns out some crafty scoundrels have somehow hijacked my line and made many expensive calls to a premium number in Guinea-Bissau. 20 or so 5 minute calls, totalling just over £180.

Apparently it's a common scam, and the most popular techniques to do this include physically accessing the line at the junction box on the road, or up the pole (ooer), or even the terminal box on your property. They can also, with some DECT devices, register as an extra handset and use your line that way.

Anyway, my provider are doing an investigation (and have taken the money for the bill by DD in the process, the nitwits) and will refund if they find the intrusion happened outside of my control (whatever that means, hopefully they aren't going to call me a fibber) but I read that asking your neighbours if the have been affected by it as well, and a note to the ombudsman (Oftel) is usually enough to stop any unnecessary further proceedings.

So.. ja. Just a friendly heads up

Chiz · 8 Jul 2014 at 14:49

I'm pretty sure there is an internet provider coming out that disregards phonelines altogether. I think it's based off 4G. Anyways, since you're in London, you should go down that route and then you won't have to worry about this sort of thing again

Dj_Jestar · 8 Jul 2014 at 14:56

Absolutely, that was something I looked for when deciding but couldn't find anyone suitable.

Chiz · 8 Jul 2014 at 14:58

Dj_Jestar said:
Absolutely, that was something I looked for when deciding but couldn't find anyone suitable.

I have fibre but yet still pay for a phoneline. ****es me right off!

diamount · 8 Jul 2014 at 14:59

Why do you still have a landline then? Maybe get an online number and have stuff redirected to your mobile, if you still have relatives who'd rather talk to you over the phone.

Dj_Jestar · 8 Jul 2014 at 15:03

Landline required for the internet connection.

Rroff · 8 Jul 2014 at 15:03

You still need a landline and pay line rental for it to have FTTC.

Regarding OP there have been a couple of other threads about this sort of thing recently - IIRC one guy had £700 worth of calls made over a weekend or something. Seems to be in the rise.

Monkeynut · 8 Jul 2014 at 15:04

Chiz said:
I'm pretty sure there is an internet provider coming out that disregards phonelines altogether. I think it's based off 4G. Anyways, since you're in London, you should go down that route and then you won't have to worry about this sort of thing again

Do you know the name of this provider? My TP-LINK router takes USB 3G dongles.

Chiz · 8 Jul 2014 at 15:06

Monkeynut said:
Do you know the name of this provider? My TP-LINK router takes USB 3G dongles.

No sorry, saw it on one of the tech sites a month or two back.

alx · 8 Jul 2014 at 15:18

diamount said:
Why do you still have a landline then? Maybe get an online number and have stuff redirected to your mobile, if you still have relatives who'd rather talk to you over the phone.

Becuase you normally need one for most internet connections?

anything I don't mind · 8 Jul 2014 at 15:26

Once in SA my friends house had a boundary wall that was the wall of another house and it had the phone box on that wall. One day i unscrewed the box and plugged in a phone and we got a dial tone, so naturally we ran a cable to our dial up modem and used it for internet. Until the neighbour complained to the phone company that when they pick up the phone they hear the modem noise. They came around to investigate and saw the wire going to my friends bedroom and he was forced to pay R2000 haha

Jimbeam3678 · 8 Jul 2014 at 15:27

Naked DSL is needed in this country. IIRC is very popular in the US OF A

diamount · 8 Jul 2014 at 15:28

Dj_Jestar said:
Landline required for the internet connection.

How can there be charges if you don't have a phone account?

Dj_Jestar · 8 Jul 2014 at 15:30

... do I really need to spell that out? I have a phone line. With line rental. Which naturally has an account. Which is mandatory if I want an internet connection (at least a fibre one.)

Liquid_Entity · 8 Jul 2014 at 15:33

I have Virgin Media 100mb and I don't pay for a phone line.
I have SKY TV and I don't pay for a phone line.

Unnecessary evil these days when I have a mobile phone with virtually free everything.

diamount · 8 Jul 2014 at 15:48

Dj_Jestar said:
... do I really need to spell that out? I have a phone line. With line rental. Which naturally has an account. Which is mandatory if I want an internet connection (at least a fibre one.)

That's absurd in this day and age. Surely if someone who doesn't ring premium phone lines on a dormant account then that would flag up as suspicious. Just like if you had your credit card details stolen and you use it for a one-off, and something that maxes the balance out in one go would be fishy.

Dj_Jestar · 8 Jul 2014 at 15:49

You would be forgiven for believing that, yes. Unfortunately no

Freefaller · 8 Jul 2014 at 15:52

diamount said:
How can there be charges if you don't have a phone account?

Still live at home with your parents eh?!

xs2man · 8 Jul 2014 at 15:55

Liquid_Entity said:
I have Virgin Media 100mb and I don't pay for a phone line.
I have SKY TV and I don't pay for a phone line.

Unnecessary evil these days when I have a mobile phone with virtually free everything.

Not really unnecessary for everyone. We don't get cable here, or 3G or 4G, so phone line is required.

Jez · 8 Jul 2014 at 15:59

Liquid_Entity said:
I have Virgin Media 100mb and I don't pay for a phone line.
I have SKY TV and I don't pay for a phone line.

Unnecessary evil these days when I have a mobile phone with virtually free everything.

Virgin is available to a small fraction of the country geographically, ditto 4G mobile data services.

You are forced into a landline contract with a BTW connection