Computer virus rakes up $2,500 phone bill
A computer virus is hijacking phones and making long-distance calls to a variety of far-off -- and expensive -- places.
The virus enters the computer through downloaded soft-ware, then uses the computer's modem to make overseas calls repeatedly.
The Kentucky Attorney General's Office said some small nations use the virus to cash in on high access fees charged to incoming international calls. The long-distance carrier in this country, which is required to pay the fee, passes the cost on to the customer.
"A few years ago, we didn't see this problem at all," said Harold Turner, an assistant attorney general in the office's consumer-protection division.
In 2004, his office received more than a dozen complaints, Turner said.
Many Kentuckians are at risk. Nearly six in 10 Kentuckians who use the Internet reach it through dial-up modems.
