With local mobile phone subscribers recently losing money for calling back missed calls coming from strange numbers, antivirus company Kaspersky and internet security firm Bkav have announced they have the apps that can block calls coming from satellite phones. A number of Vinaphone and Mobifone subscribers complained to Tuoi Tre in late September that, after finding missed calls from strange numbers beginning with +881 and +882, they called back and although nobody answered, they still lost money from their phone accounts. Subscribers can lose as much as VND100,000 (US$4.8) from their mobile phone accounts when making phone call to such strange numbers as +88213300207, +88213300263, +88213300042, and +88213300036, which telecom insiders said are in fact from satellite phones, which charge callers right from the very first second of the call, irrespectively of whether the call is answered or not. Bkav, a Hanoi-based company renowned for its antivirus software Bkav Pro, said users can now avoid receiving such satellite calls by installing its Bkav Mobile Security app on their smartphones. The app, compatible with most of the common operating system from Symbian, RIM to Android and iOS, will block all phone calls from +881 and +882, the company said. Bkav Mobile Security is available on Google Play, App World, Cydia, and mobile.bkav.com.vn Meanwhile, Ngo Tran Vu, managing director of NTS Security, the authorized dealer of Kaspersky in Vietnam, said mobile phone users can install its Kaspersky Mobile Security to block themselves from satellite phone calls. Users should access the Call & SMS Filter section on the software, and choose, Black List, then Add, and finally “Calls and SMS”, where they should type in +881*, and +882*. Besides the said apps, subscribers can also use the phone blocking services provided by the network operators, such as the Call Barring of MobiFone, and Call Blocking of Vinaphone and Viettel. The operators, however, will charge monthly fee for the services.

Another flip side is that the apps will block real, authentic calls too.