Huge Broadband bills

I got a bill for Rs 65,000 for July 2005 Broadband usage. Earlier I had DIAS for about three years and my usage did not ever exceed 250 MB a month except one month when I deliberately did some downloading of around 600 MB. Apart from writing regular letters, I have spoken to the GM (operations) Mr R K Mishra who told me that broadband bills will be four times DIAS bills in any case. His rationale was that the speed is faster. So what? If the usage is the same, what difference does the speed make? I told him that it is impossible for me to download 23 GB of dada and to upload 7 GB of data in one month. Details of my usage are weird too, and on several afternoons at around 4.18 pm when nobody is online, there is data usage of over one lakh KB. I want to make posts to the broadband forum but dont know how, so will somebody please contact me on yahoo and let me know. Also there is a password problem with dataone. Anybody can go to the password change page and type in the default password of xyz123 and change the password. Often I find my password has reverted to xyz123. So there is definitely some kind of theft going on and the BSNL officers are technologically handicapped and cannot solve the problem. Anybody, please help! Smita

sban29@yahoo.co.uk

You might have given out your username and pw to somebody or someone else might have known your username and then guessed the default password and happily used it.When you say your default pw was reverted to xyz123 you mean to say you did change the password and subsequently you could access only using the default pw?Do you use pppoe (i assume) or let the modem do the dialing for you?I doublt if any virus could have caused such huge data transfer.

I use pppoe. I have also been a DIAS user for some time and when my broadband modem was installed, I was told to use the same software.

Password has often been a problem in the sense that there were days when I could not log on to Broadband. Upon complaining I was told, use the default password and log on and then change your pass. I have never given my username to anybody... the only people who might know it are the bsnl guys. After I got this whopper of a bill, I tried to change my password again. Surprise, surprise, my password was rejected by the site, though I had used it to log on. The only way I could change my password was to type xyz123, and lo and behold, I was told it was successful. However, I could not log on with the new password. I had to use the previous password.

I feel that probably some unscruplous guys in BSNL are doing this - changing the password to the default. In any case, why should there be one default password for everybody? None of the ISPs have this system. Dataone should give individual passwords to new users and abolish this system of default password. It only helps to aid and abet criminals who steal bandwidth from us and we are left holding the baby or in this case, the bill.

I agree it cant be a virus. Its probably just theft, since my usage has not gone up from my DIAS days. Also, during periods when I am shown as being logged on for more than 24 hours, there are several simultaneous log ons in the same time period.

Yes Mr Pupudada, I am a Banerjee from Kolkata.

Smita sban29@yahoo.co.uk

So definitely it is not virus problem (multiple usage logs).Yes everytime i try to change the password it takes three to four attempts.Then my friend told me that was my browse securitys settings problems which till date i could not figure out.You say you have not chaged your pw and so proving that you did not use might be a problem. May be have cool relations with BSNL and try to find out from which number (telephone) did the data calls originate which might give some info on who the culprit is.Do not deal with the low level guys there try to speak to the DGM itself.If the low level guys had really used your account they might make sure you do not get any info.

Of course I had changed my password. The point I am trying to make is that suppose my default pass is xyz123. I changed it to "sunshine". I logged on with "sunshine" for a few weeks. Then one day I find Broadband does not work. I call up and am told to try later. This goes on for a couple of days. Then I am told to type the default pass, and I am able to log on. So I change my pass again, say to moonlight32. This happens on two other occasions.

Then I get a bill for 65000. So I am advised to change my pass. This time when I type in "moonlight32", the server rejects my password, although I have logged on to Broadband using this pass. I am only able to change my pass after several attempts and only when I type in xyz123.... which I typed in just for the heck of it.

So Houston, we definitely have a problem!

sban29@yahoo.co.uk

Smita, u sure you do not have a key-logger in your computer? If that is the case, the keylogger will be able to note down your keywords (including passwords) and mail the same to unscrupulous persons who might revert back your password to xyz123 just to confuse you. Strongly suggest that you check your machine with `ad-aware from:

www.lavasoft.de

and also go a google for `spybot-search and destroy' install them, run them and see if you get a ras-dialer type of logger. My brain does not go beyond that.. and yes, btw, once you've entered your username and password, just tick the box [x] remember my password. (I am assuming that you have your computer in a safe environment where others will not misuse it). Sigh (huge one)

I do not have a key logger or any spyware. I am quite vigilant. Also, the GM Operations told me himself that all passwords were reverted to default on at least one occasion to his recollection.Smita

Hmm, well I think you are reaching the point where you can coerce him (GM Ops) to part with the news asto which telephone had been used to log in to revert the passwords. What baffles me is that how did that other person know what was your password, in the first place. The only option is that it was re-set (rather than reverted by some staff of BSNL itself)... here's wishing you all the best.. 😉`jab smita paas hojayegi (is problem se), tab...kuch mitha ho jaye'