Telia continues the fight against modem hijackers

Telia continues the fight against modem hijackers Telia has taken another step in the fight against modem hijackings. Since a few weeks ago, Telia has been calling and warning customers who might have been affected by hijackings. This is often done before the customer has actually had the time to notice anything. When Telia contacts customers who dial up known foreign destinations where modem hijacking occurs, customers are made aware of the problem. At the same time, customers are also offered the cost-free service "Telia Kod", which provides 100 percent protection against modem hijacking. "We have called a few hundred customers to date," says Marie Ehrling, head of TeliaSonera Sweden. "Customers are very grateful for our calls and they feel they have chosen a telecom operator that stands for security and safety." In mid-April this year members of TeliaSonera Sweden's management made a decision to reduce the phone bills of customers whose modems had been hijacked, provided that the modem hijacking could be substantiated, and if the customer allowed Telia to activate the Telia Kod service on their phone number subscription. The decision is retroactive and valid as of October 1, 2003. Parallel with these efforts, Telia is continuing to close the number series and entire destinations in foreign countries where modem hijacking is directed to. For example, automatic phone traffic to Diego Garcia and the Cook Islands has been completely closed, while number series to Tuvalu, Guinea Bissau and Liechtenstein, among other foreign destinations, have been shut down. With Telia Kod, customers are required to dial a personal code in order to make overseas calls or toll calls. The code does not actually prevent the actual modem hijacking, but it avoids the unpleasant consequences of a high phone bill. Customers who surf on the Internet with a dial-up modem connection are recommended by Telia to get the Telia Kod service. For further information journalists can contact: Hans G. Larsson, Press Manager, Consumer Segment, TeliaSonera Sweden, phone + 46 8 713 58 30. ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2004/06/09/20040609BIT00080/wkr0001.pdf