Phone service helps kids sneak past parental restrictions

Parents who use call barring to stop children running up huge bills by calling their mates’ mobile phones could be hit by even higher charges as devious youngsters exploit a loophole in directory enquiry services.

Reporters at Computeractive found that users of the 118 118 service can call the operator, and simply ask to be put through via its premium-rate connection service to specific mobile numbers. This works even if direct calls to mobile numbers have been blocked on a landline.

The loophole was exposed after a Computeractive reader discovered his daughter was calling mobile numbers he had barred.

Read the full story (The Inquirer)