Citation[]
In the Matter of Beylen Telecom, Ltd., FTC File No. 972 3128 (FTC Nov. 4, 1997) (administrative complaint).
Factual Background[]
The FTC alleged that the defendants enticed consumers who visited their websites on the Internet to download the “viewer” software in order to access computer-stored images for free. Once the consumer downloaded and activated this software, it automatically disconnected consumers’ modems from their local Internet service providers, turned off the speakers on the consumers’ modems, and silently dialed international telephone numbers to reconnect consumers to the Internet through an expensive long-distance telephone call. Once hijacked in this fashion, consumers’ modems remained connected to those international telephone numbers even when consumers left the defendants’ websites or left the Internet entirely to do word processing, spreadsheet or other computer work. As a result, many consumers received phone bills with international call charges totaling several hundred or several thousand dollars.
Consent Order[]
Under a consent order, more than 38,000 consumers got full credits totaling over $2.74 million for their long-distance telephone charges they unknowingly incurred when their computer modems allegedly were hijacked and re-routed to expensive, international numbers.