• These "free" icons come at a price 12/14/05
• Unsolicited phone calls via unsolicited software 12/7/05
• Always read the fine print 11/30/05
• How a virtual PC can save your hide 11/23/05
• Destruction of personal property 11/16/05
• Watch your bank 11/9/05
• Nasty ads from a nasty program 11/2/05
• The unwilling spam king 10/26/05
• A Better Internet? Not really. 10/19/05
• Putting the BargainBuddy dog to sleep 10/12/05

Download.com users are no strangers to the frightening world of spyware. Each week, we'll share a new reader tale of spyware woe, so check back frequently for each terrifying episode.

Yet another reason to get DSL

One day my computer started freezing up. I thought nothing of it. However, it kept freezing every day for about the same amount of time, not allowing me to do anything.

A month later, I got my phone bill. It turned out that while my computer was frozen, a nefarious program caused my PC to dial hundreds of long-distance numbers, leaving me with a bill that was more than $500 above normal. I ran a spyware scan and removed the dialing program, but it kept reinstalling itself. I went into the Registry and tried to disable it via the Task Manager, but nothing worked. The next month, I got another phone bill that was jacked up about $200 extra. After talking to the phone company, I got out of paying the bill, but this took much convincing and time.

I finally decided to reformat my hard drive and reinstall the OS. I also got rid of my dial-up connection in case the dialer ever returned.

--B.
Massachusetts, U.S.A.

Most users have switched from dial-up to broadband for the marked increase in speed, but your tale points out a fringe benefit: high-speed connections are much less susceptible to dialers, nasty little critters that make pricey phone calls at your expense.

Of course, this is not to say users with broadband connections are totally immune to dialers. For instance, if you still have a dial-up modem attached to your machine for purposes other than Web surfing, any dialer that worms its way onto your machine can still potentially activate itself and call all corners of the globe on your dime. Good to hear that your phone company was understanding; that extra $700 could pay for at least a year of broadband Internet service, if not more. Users who haven't yet made the switch to high-speed may find the added protection against dialers the factor that finally sways them to ditch dial-up.

--Download.com editors

Got your own spyware horror story you'd like to share? Let us hear it.