Hidden Dialler programs - How to find them?

[NG708]

I seem to have picked up one of these insidious dialler programs which has buried itself in my PC.

The only reason I suspect this is because, every so often my phone 'chirps' as something starts dialling an outside line automatically.

Now I have my PC connected to the phone line for sending faxes and use a broadband ADSL line with a splitter.

I've disconnected the broadband modem and left the normal dial-up line in and this still happens. So I presume I've a hidden bug trying to dial one of these premium rate numbers. Luckily it's not connecting, but I'd like to stop it.

I'm using Windows XP, have Norton Firewall and Antivius installed and use Ad-aware's trojan detector but neither of these has picked anything up.

Is it hidden in the registry somewhere? Anyone any ideas?

[Conan the Librarian]

If you use a premium anti virus suite, go to the manufacturer site and search there for "Diallers"

Also try the free programs Ad aware and the Microsoft Anti Spyware program. The latter contains a useful suite of tools (very intuitive) to see what progs are called during start up and what progs are currently running. Very useful - and free too.

If you have a rogue dialler, it is probably trying to dial an 0900 or foreign number. Get BT to put a bar on these two types of number - and do tell them that you are having dialler trouble. They have been implicated themselves in recent months (as carriers of an unauthorised "transaction")and now are a lot more helpful in trying to stop it than they used to be, if my experience is anything to go by. Best bet, is to unplug the modem, but if you are using fax, then it is the lesser of two evils I suppose.


Conan

[frostbite]

Just to echo the advice from Conan re BT.

I got them to block all premium rate numbers for the price of a free two-minute call.

Just so long as you won't miss the chatlines.........