---

Internet Rogue Dialling

Answer

Internet rogue diallers are regulated by the premium rate services regulator, the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services (ICSTIS).ICSTIS has no information on the cost of Internet rogue diallers to consumers either as a cumulative figure or in year on year statistics.ICSTIS is not in possession of sufficient information to estimate the number of consumers affected by rogue diallers though ICSTIS does record and investigate all complaints that the public submit.To this end, ICSTIS received the following numbers of complaints about dialler services in the years 2003 until 2005.

	Number
2003	4,600
2004	57,750
2005	4,550

As the figures clearly demonstrate, ICSTIS received record numbers of complaints about dialler services during 2004, which resulted in the introduction of a prior permission regime by ICSTIS for the software that enabled these services. This includes prominent pricing and premium rate number information prior to access of the service as well as the requirement to provide an on-screen clock that displays call duration and cumulative costs for a user.The level of complaints in 2005, demonstrates the impact that ICSTIS has had on the number of complaints received from members of the public.In the first instance it is a matter for the telecoms companies to decide how to resolve the problems facing their own customers over charges from Internet rogue diallers. Customers with disputed bills can use the services of the alternative dispute resolution schemes, of which all telecoms companies are members, to sort out disagreements. New rules on compensation for consumers who have been subject to a scam are also being implemented by ICSTIS. This change will mean that not only will ICSTIS be able to order refunds from service providers but also to collect the money from the telecoms companies to compensate consumers if it is not forthcoming from the service provider.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

40301; 441 c476W

Session

2005-06

Subjects

Complaints Compensation Costs Fraud Internet Telephone services Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk