Consumers Who Click ’yes’ to
Pop-Up Ad Questions Without Reading The Fine Print Could Be Agreeing to Have Their Modems Programmed to Automatically Dial Expensive
International Long-Distance Calls NEW YORK, Aug. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers should read the fine print before clicking «yes» or «I accept» to questions that appear on so-called pop-up ads while browsing the Web. They could be agreeing to install software on their computers that then dials international locations. The result could be significant, and perhaps unexpected, international long-distance charges for which the customer is responsible.
This scam, known as «modem hijacking,» occurs when a computer user sees certain ads pop up on the screen while visiting a Web site. If the user clicks on the pop-up, a series of questions appears asking the user to choose a «yes,» «I agree,» or a similarly phrased button to agree to the terms and conditions of the ad. A positive response to the question triggers a software download to the user’s computer — which will then automatically dial the international phone numbers at random times without the customer knowing it.
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SAN ANTONIO New Contract Expands Existing Relationship to Meet Provena Health Voice and Data Communications Needs
SBC Communications Inc. (NYSE: SBC) today announced a new contract with Illinois-based Provena Health, an organization with a network of healthcare facilities and offices located throughout Northern Illinois.
Under the terms of the contract, SBC companies will deliver a comprehensive upgrade of the Provena Health data network infrastructure across the organization’s enterprise, which includes six acute-care hospitals; 16 long-term care and residential centers; 28 primary care, specialty and diagnostic clinics; and five home-health agencies.
The contract also covers a range of long-distance voice and data services, SBC PremierSERV(SM) Managed Service offerings, and the implementation of a Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) backbone. The network upgrade is designed to help position Provena Health for emerging technologies such as IP-based voice and video services, to prepare the organization to adopt centralized Picture Archive and Communication Systems (PACS), and to help address regulatory requirements related to HIPAA and business continuity planning.
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By Ken Belson
«People have been very distracted by our earlier announcements, but it’s always been our goal to pivot toward our Internet phone service,» said Cathy Martine, AT&T’s senior vice president for Internet telephony. «That’s where we see the future and where we can control costs.»
AT&T (NYSE: T) may be your grandma’s phone company, but it is also trying to be the company of the future with its new Internet phones.
Even as it is getting out of the business of providing traditional phone service to consumers, AT&T is aggressively pushing its Internet phone plan, CallVantage, in hopes of making up for its faltering long-distance operation.
Like its rivals Verizon, Vonage and Time Warner Cable, AT&T is attracted to the service because Internet telephony is cheaper to offer to businesses and consumers and requires less upfront investment than the old copper wire and traditional switching networks.
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ST. LOUIS Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTR), through its subsidiaries, today announced agreements with Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: LVLT) and Sprint Communications Company, L.P. (NYSE: FON) to provide long distance and local telephone service connectivity in selected Charter markets. In addition, Charter has selected Accenture (NYSE: ACN) to provide telephony provisioning services.
«These agreements enable Charter to significantly increase telephony deployments in each of our Divisions during 2005,» said Tom Cullen, Charter Executive Vice President of Advanced Services and Business Development.
The agreements with Level 3 and Sprint followed a Request for Information issued by Charter earlier this year. «Our objective was to significantly improve our cost structure over our current position and decrease the time required to deploy telephony services,» said Mr. Cullen. «Level 3 and Sprint have the networks, the technical expertise, and the experience we were looking for in an underlying provider.»
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OREM, Utah Q Comm International Inc. (AMEX:QMM), a provider of prepaid transaction processing and electronic
point-of-sale (POS) distribution solutions, today announced that Harry Hargens has been appointed and has accepted a seat on the company’s board of directors effective Sept. 1, 2004.
Hargens was instrumental in the creation and early development of the business of automating credit card processing at the Point of Sale (POS). He has been active in the payments/transaction processing industry since 1981, having held senior management positions responsible for sales, marketing, and product development at Omron, VeriFone, TransNet (now part of Paymentech), HONOR (STAR), and National Data (Global Payments). During the 1980s, at hardware vendors Omron and VeriFone, he helped to launch and grow the market for POS terminals that automate credit card transactions. Subsequently, at transaction processors TransNet, HONOR, and National Data, he helped drive continued market growth by developing and marketing innovative new transaction processing services. Presently, Hargens serves as a CEO, president, and director of InstaPay Systems Inc. (OTCBB:IPYS), the holding company of Kryptosima LLC, which he founded in 2000. Kryptosima’s innovation is a unique Internet Payment Gateway Service that enables Internet merchants to accept ATM Card payments. The company currently holds a patent in Europe and has an additional patent filed in the United States. Hargens holds an MBA with honors from The University of Chicago, and a BSEE with honors from Illinois Institute of Technology.
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