Taxpayers get unexpected return--sex chat - Not exactly the kind of message you expect to hear in the middle of doing your taxes, but that's just what some TurboTax customers are getting as they try to set up their state returns. A message in the business version of Intuit's market-leading tax preparation software erroneously directs customers to a sex talk operation. The message pops up when TurboTax Business users advance to their state tax return and decide they need to file for more than the single state return supported in the product. The message in the software tells them they can purchase software for additional states, at $30 each, online or by calling an 800 number. That number goes straight to Intimate Encounters, which bills itself as "the exciting new way to go live, one-on-one, with hot...girls waiting to talk with you." The pre-recorded message on the site makes no mention of tax preparation services, although you never know what you can get for 99 cents a minute. Intuit acknowledges the mistake in a customer support alert that offers another 800 number but doesn't admit where the original one goes. An Intuit representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

MSN shuts down its chatrooms One in five children regularly use chatrooms, reports suggest Microsoft's internet service MSN is to cut back drastically its chatroom services because of concerns about child safety, it said. MSN is closing all its chatrooms in Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and most of Asia from 14 October, and changing the way others are operated globally. "As a responsible leader we feel it necessary to make these changes because online chat services are increasingly being misused," it said. Children's charities welcomed the move as "momentous" and said they saw it as a big step towards protecting young web users, but some have criticised the decision. Abusive contact Internet service provider Lycos has branded the action as "irresponsible" and fear children will move to other unmoderated chatrooms on the net. Some have suggested that MSN may have economic reasons for closing down their chatrooms. MSN GLOBAL CHATROOMS US: Unmoderated chatrooms will be credit card subscription only and bundled with other products Canada, Australia, Japan: 24-hour moderated chatrooms, with some unmoderated behind subscription New Zealand and Brazil: 24-hour moderated chatrooms UK and Europe: All chatrooms closing Middle East, Latin America, Asia: All chatrooms closing Chatroom closure draws fire MSN UK's Matt Whittingham told BBC News Online it was not a decision they had taken lightly. "We have been concerned about chatrooms for a while and reached a stage where we were no longer prepared to put up with inappropriate communication," he said. The only chat service available to MSN users in the UK will be the free instant messaging service, MSN Messenger, which is not so open and gives people more control over who they talk to. Chatrooms on MSN's other global sites will either be supervised - or moderated - by an adult 24 hours a day, or will be on a credit card subscription-basis only. It means no free, unmoderated chatrooms will exist anymore on any of MSN's global network of sites. There has been growing concern among experts that the anonymity of net chat means young people are being targeted by adults pretending to be children. HAVE YOUR SAY This extreme policy seems like an exercise in futility Adam Issa, UK Send us your comments You asked a net safety adviser "We have seen cases where under-16s have been approached by people pretending to be same age, but who are grown adults trying to solicit young people for abusive contact," Mr Whittingham explained. He added that, although most messages in chatrooms were not inappropriate, a "small minority" had spoilt chat for people of all ages. People have also been increasingly targeted by spammers posting hundreds of messages and inappropriate web addresses to chatrooms. Many have been "mining" rooms for data, finding out users' e-mail addresses to build spam lists. Instant control? MSN has acknowledged that some chatters will not be happy about the move. "We regret responsible users will be affected by this move, but we looked at this very carefully and on balance to safeguard customer interests," said Mr Whittingham. CHATROOMS AND CHILDREN One in five children aged nine to 16 regularly use chatrooms More than half have engaged in sex chat A quarter have received requests to meet face-to-face One in 10 had met face-to-face Source: Cyberspace Research Centre, July 2003 By only making instant messaging available, chatters will be able to restrict and control who they talk to because they can only chat to people on their "buddy lists". People need to ask permission to be a "buddy" and they need to know the user's e-mail address to make a request, which means most children only have "buddies" who they know outside the internet. They will also continue to make MSN Messenger free to users. Mr Whittingham said all net services offering chatrooms should continue to look at how they can safeguard everyone on the internet, ensuring young people and parents stick to common sense advice. This means never giving out personal information online, and never arranging to see someone they have met online in the real world.

Sex chat doctor struck off - The 42-year-old doctor who posed as a teenage girl and used this false identity to chat online with 26 genuine teenage girls using "indecent language about sex and underwear" was yesterday struck off by a General Medical Council fitness-to-practise panel. Thomas Dent - a GP and director at the National Institute for Clinical Excellence - "accessed porn websites and swapped photos with youngsters while talking to them in chatrooms about masturbation and orgasms", as we reported yesterday. Dent was arrested in May 2004 by a special constable who happened to sit next to him on a train while he used his laptop to pose as "Katie Beckinsale" and was spotted "looking at a picture of a teenage girl". He avoided criminal prosection for grooming children, but received a five-year risk of sexual harm order and a civil order. The GMC ruled Dent unfit to practice. He said: "I'm ashamed of what I did."

Yahoo yanks 'sex' chat rooms - p2pnet.net News:- PepsiCo, State Farm Insurance and Georgia-Pacific were among companies which stopped advertising on Yahoo after learning that adults were, “attempting to lure children into sexual encounters within some of Yahoo's user-created chat rooms,” says the Associated Press, quoting a KPRC-TV Houston report. Now, Yahoo Inc has, “pulled the plug on perhaps hundreds of chat rooms operating on its site after a media report revealed that some of the rooms were used to promote sex with minors”. KPRC said in some cases, men were using web cams to send “lewd pictures to minors in chat rooms with such titles as ‘Younger Girls 4 Older Guys’ and ‘Girls 13 And Under for Older Guys,” says the story, adding: “Yahoo spokeswoman Mary Osako, who declined to say when the service will return or why all the user-created sites were closed, said the Internet portal shuttered the service for improvements and to ensure ‘compliance with our terms of service’."

Surprise over sex chat line error A Cheshire man was shocked when he got more than 200 calls to his mobile from callers thinking they were dialling a sex chat line. Philip Marsh, 49, of Sandbach, said he realised something must be wrong after an hour of phone calls asking to speak to Leoni - an exciting girl in her 20s. The error happened when his number was mistakenly printed in a Hull newspaper. He said: "After about an hour and between 40 and 50 calls I suddenly clicked what was going on. Nightshift workers "I asked one of the men who was calling to not put the phone down and tell me where he got the number from. "I said to my neighbour that things would get worse when people who work the nightshift get up in the afternoon. "Between 2.30pm and 4.50pm I got 64 calls. I got well in excess of 200 yesterday." A spokeswoman for the Hull Daily Mail said: "We apologise for any inconvenience caused to Mr Marsh and his family. "This was an innocent error and we have tightened our procedures for accepting advertisements in the future."

It is everywhere you look, from ads for phone sex chat lines to escort services and then there are the stag and hen night parties to massage parlours in the South's booming resorts like Bournemouth and Brighton. And then there are the stag and hen night parties to massage parlours in the South's booming resorts like Bournemouth and Brighton. Sex is the internet's hot topic, with at least half a dozen south coast based sites dedicated to the sex trade. But beneath the Lads Mags chat and the girls wearing bunny girl T shirts there is a story of real human misery. It is the 21st century slave trade. Women brought from Lithuania or Latvia to the South coast to work in massage parlours that are really brothels. According to Hampshire police 80% of the sex trade here is now controlled by organised gangs from Eastern Europe and the Far East. The police try to break up illegal brothels when they can, using intelligence to track the pimps who run the girls. The Home Office is funding the 'Poppy Project' to help the women break away from the financial and emotional dependence on those who brought them to this country. The problem may be growing, but the solution is not straightforward. When girls who have been brought to this country against their will - trafficked - are sent back to their country of origin some end up being re-trafficked within weeks. Maria was brought to England from Albania when she was 18. She told the Politics Show "If you have to deal with traffickers, even if you go away from them, they will find a way to contact you. "What I have been through was stressful. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep. "I couldn't even go to look out of the window I was too scared of them." Amnesty International are campaigning for victims of trafficking to be given the right to stay in the UK. It would mean adopting the European Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. The convention would allow temporary residence permits for victims who assist with prosecutions, or who would be in danger if they returned home. But some believe this would allow anyone in the country illegally to claim they had been trafficked. And some sex workers say the Police emphasis on raids of brothels, and the Home Office crackdowns are distracting from initiatives to improve the lives of prostitutes. Julie Davies from the Sex Workers branch of the GMB union describes new initiatives on prostitution as "Dickensian." She argues that if women and punters were not treated as criminals then those making money from the sex trade would find their profits quickly disappearing, and with it the criminal gangs that turn sex into human misery.

'Phone sex attack' trial halted The trial at Glasgow Sheriff Court was halted Six men charged in connection with an alleged sex attack on a 14-year-old girl filmed on a mobile phone have had their trial halted. On the second day of the Glasgow Sheriff Court hearing, Sheriff Sam Cathcart brought in the jury to tell them the case would not be continuing. New information is thought to have emerged to prosecutors last week. The accused men all denied taking part in the alleged offence at a flat in Glasgow in June last year. The girl told Glasgow Sheriff Court how she became drunk at a party at her friend's home in Knightswood. It was alleged that five of the accused slapped the girl while she was unconscious. Mobile phone They were also accused of carrying out a sexual assault and writing "bitch" on the girl's head. It was alleged that the attacks were recorded on mobile phone cameras. Tom Sier, 21, of Govanhill, Glasgow; Edgar Kudzhoyan, 21, of Knightswood, Glasgow; Dimitry Fescenko, 17, of the Gorbals, Glasgow; Dean Bowman, 18, of Bellshill, Lanarkshire; and Daniel Halliday, 17, also of Bellshill, denied the charges. Mr Kudzhoyan and Mr Halliday denied taking or permitting to be taken indecent photos of a child and being in possession of such images. Mohammed Khan, 19, of Carfin, Lanarkshire, is accused of committing a breach of the peace at a branch of Abbey National on Glasgow's St Vincent Street on 18 June last year by showing images of the alleged assault to members of staff and possessing indecent photos of a child.

Six face 'phone sex attack' trial The girl was shown video clips of the alleged attack Six young men have gone on trial on charges relating to an alleged sex attack on a 14-year-old girl which was filmed on a mobile phone. The teenager, now 15, said she was "shocked" and "upset" after watching the short videos in court. One of the films appeared to show the schoolgirl being indecently assaulted at a party. The accused, aged between 17 and 21, deny taking part in the alleged offence at a flat in Glasgow in June last year. It is alleged that five of the accused slapped the teenage girl while she was unconscious. Indecent photos They are also accused of carrying out a sexual assault and writing "bitch" on the girl's head. Tom Sier, 21, of Govanhill, Glasgow; Edgar Kudzhoyan, 21, of Knightswood, Glasgow; Dimitry Fescenko, 17, of the Gorbals, Glasgow; Dean Bowman, 18, of Bellshill, Lanarkshire; and Daniel Halliday, 17, also of Bellshill, deny the charges. Mr Kudzhoyan and Mr Halliday deny taking or permitting to be taken indecent photos of a child and being in possession of such images. Mohammed Khan, 19, of Carfin, Lanarkshire, is accused of committing a breach of the peace at a branch of Abbey National on Glasgow's St Vincent Street on 18 June last year by showing images of the alleged assault to members of staff and possessing indecent photos of a child. He denies the charges. The girl told Glasgow Sheriff Court how she became drunk at a party at her friend's home in Knightswood. As a result, she said she could not remember much. Special defence The girl was shown two mobile phone clips captured during the event by prosecutor Fiona Holligan. The youngster told the court she was distressed when police first showed her the clips. She said: "I was just shocked. I don't really want to think about it all - it just makes me upset." The girl identified Mr Halliday, Mr Kudzhoyan, Mr Bowman and herself as in one image. Her 15-year-old friend - whose home the party was at - said she had spotted males standing near the girl at one point "laughing with the phones out". The girl said all the accused - bar Khan - were there, along with another male. Tom Sier has lodged a special defence of alibi claiming he was visiting his girlfriend's home in the city's east end at the time of any alleged attack. The trial, before Sheriff Sam Cathcart, continues on Monday.

Malaysia targets mobile phone sex New technology is proving a challenge for Malaysian censorship The Malaysian government has ordered police to randomly check mobile phones for pornographic images. The move follows reports by a local newspaper that young people were swapping sex videos and images on their mobile phones. Deputy Interior Minister, Noh Omar, said he worried the practice was becoming increasingly common. Officers have been ordered to immediately delete any explicit images they find stored in the phones. The owners of internet cafes are also being targeted and will face prosecution if they allow customers to download pornographic material. Phone shop operators who provide download services for sex images could also be charged for its possession, according to the New Straits Times newspaper. Possessing pornography in Malaysia carries a maximum punishment of five years in prison and 50,000 ringgit (US$13,292 or £7,374) in fines. According to the Malay language newspaper, Harian Metro, teenagers are using their mobile phones to video mass sex parties and then send the pictures to each other. The BBC's Jonathan Kent in Kuala Lumpur says new technology is challenging the government's strict censorship laws, among the most rigid in Asia. Pornography is illegal in Malaysia, a country whose population is mainly Muslim and where state television censors images of people kissing. But the popularity of the internet means the government has to balance its commitment not to censor the net with attempts to stem the spread of pornographic material.

DVLA's 'phone sex video' inquiry The clips were said to have been downloaded to a mobile A woman has been suspended over claims that mobile phone clips of her having sex were seen by hundreds of colleagues. The Swansea-based Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) worker was said to have downloaded clips to her mobile phone and sent the footage to friends. Within hours, the clips were said to have been sent to 300 fellow workers. The DVLA said a "junior employee" was suspended amid an inquiry into "alleged circulation of unacceptable material." Nobody could quite believe what they were seeing DVLA worker, quoted anonymously The woman, reported to be in her twenties, has been told to stay at home until the investigation is completed. More than 6,000 people work for the DVLA, most of them based in a 20-storey building in the Morriston area of Swansea. Many are said to have viewed the clips by the time managers stepped in. "Nobody could quite believe what they were seeing," the South Wales Evening Post quoted one worker. "The pictures appeared to show her and her partner making love," the anonymous worker told the newspaper. "They went from one camera phone to the next. I think at least 300 or so people had it on their mobile phones by the time it was stopped. "Everyone was passing on the pictures." A DVLA spokeswoman said: "A junior DVLA employee is currently under suspension pending the outcome of an internal investigation into the alleged circulation of unacceptable material." The centre processes driving licences for the UK and is one of the biggest employers in the region.

Man admits to phone sex with girl A scoutmaster admitted having cyber sex with a 14-year-old girl but denied any physical relationship with her. A jury at Nottingham Crown Court heard James Axe, 30, say he was waiting until her 16th birthday. The jury heard Mr Axe, from Nottingham, lured the girl into a tent on a scout camp after months of text messages, letters and emails between them. He said the temptation to engage in anything other than phone and cyber sex would have been "wrong". Mr Axe, of Bispham Drive, Toton, told the jury how the pair went into explicit detail about various sexual acts in phone conversations and over the internet. He said she wanted to have sexual intercourse with him, but he refused, saying they would have to wait until she was 16. 'Telephone sex' Tim Palmer, prosecuting, said: "You were a scoutmaster and she was a 14-year-old girl. You had for some time been engaged in an illicit relationship with her. "Even on your own admission you had been having telephone sex with her." Mr Axe said "(The girl) kept on contacting me and kept on contacting me and kept on contacting me and I gave in to her contacting me. He admitted: "I should have known better than to behave the way I did but I believe she also knew that relationship was not a healthy one." Mr Axe, who was a 25-year-old assistant scout leader when the relationship started in May 2000, denies two counts of indecency with a child. and 11 of indecent assault. The jury has heard how the girl listed each of their sexual encounters, including intercourse in his car, in his scout hut and at his girlfriend's house, at the back of her diary.