PCworld reports (PCWorld??? what the heck) that Ireland is cracking down on Internet scams! Umm, Ireland (where I am currently living) is the worst “connected” country in the EU when it comes to home Internet use, so at first glance this article makes no sense. How can people be scammed online when it’s painful to even setup any worthwhile connection at home? Reading a bit closer I found this: “The auto-dialer programs change Internet users’ dial-up settings to call an international number without their knowledge. Users are often unaware that they have been targeted until they receive exorbitant phone bills at the end of the month. ” Now it makes sense, the best way to scam people here is to attack them where they are most vulnerable – their MODEMS (Yes, people still use modems here!) – and use them to call long distance? Then I read this:

“According to the RegCom spokesperson, one business in Ireland complained of receiving a phone bill for more than $22,000 due to the scam, while some home users unwittingly racked up phone bills as high as $2400.”

Businesses are still using dial-up? Now thats scary….