Vicky
April 9th, 2002, 9:14pm
I have not checked this out on the hoax sites so if you have any additional info or it's a hoax in itself I'll just delete it if you say so.
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION PROVIDED BY AT&T.
DON'T EVER DIAL AREA CODE 809
This one is being distributed all over the US. This is pretty scary
especially given the
way they try to get you to call. Be sure you read this & pass it on to
all
your friends
and family so they don't get scammed!
MAJOR SCAM:
Don't respond to Emails, phone calls, or web pages which tell you to
call
an
"809" Phone
Number. This is a very important issue of Scam Busters because it
alerts
you
to a scam
that is spreading *extremely* quickly can easily cost you $2400 or
more,
and
is
difficult to avoid unless you are aware of it. We'd like to thank
Verizon
for bringing
this scam to our attention. This scam has also been identified by the
National Fraud
Information Center and is costing victims a lots of money. There are
lots
of
different
permutations of this scam.
HERE'S HOW IT WORKS: You will receive a message on your answering
machine
or
your pager, which asks you to
call a number beginning with area code 809. The reason you're asked to
call
varies. It
can be to receive information about a family member who has been ill,
to
tell you
someone has been arrested, died, to let you
know you have won a wonderful prize, etc. In each case, you are told
to
call the 809
number right away. Since there are so many new area codes these days,
people
unknowingly
return these calls. If you call from the US, you will apparently be
charged
$2425
per minute. Or, you'll get a long recorded message. The point is, they
will
try to keep
you on the phone as long as possible to increase the charges.
Unfortunately, when you get your phone bill, you'll often be charged
more
than
$24100.00.
WHY IT WORKS:
The 809 area code is located in the British Virgin Islands (The
Bahamas).
The 809 area
code can be used as a "pay-per-call" number, similar to 900 numbers in
the
US. Since 809
is not in the US, it is not covered by US regulations of 900 numbers,
which
require that
you be notified and warned of charges and rates involved when you call
a
"pay-per-call"
number. There is also no requirement that the company provide a time
period
during
which you may
terminate the call without being charged. Further, whereas many US
homes
that have 900
number blocking to avoid these
kinds of charges, do not work in preventing calls to the 809 area code.
We recommend that no matter how you get the message, if you are asked
to
call a number
with an 809 area code that you don't recognize just disregard the
message.
Be wary of
email or calls asking you to call an 809 area code number. It's
important
to
prevent
becoming a victim of this scam, since trying to fight the charges
afterwards
can become
a real nightmare. That's because you did actually make the call. If you
complain, both
your local phone company and your long distance carrier will not want
to
get
involved
and will most likely tell you that they are simply providing the
billing
for
the foreign
company. You'll end up dealing with a foreign company that argues they
have
done nothing wrong.
Please forward this entire message to your friends, family and
colleagues
to
help them
become aware of this scam.
Sandi Van Handel
AT&T Field Service Manager
(920) 687-904
Additional information can be obtained from the following AT&T Web Site
<http://www.att.com/fraud/home.html#thre/s/>
http://www.att.com/fraud/home.html#thre/s/
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION PROVIDED BY AT&T.
DON'T EVER DIAL AREA CODE 809
This one is being distributed all over the US. This is pretty scary
especially given the
way they try to get you to call. Be sure you read this & pass it on to
all
your friends
and family so they don't get scammed!
MAJOR SCAM:
Don't respond to Emails, phone calls, or web pages which tell you to
call
an
"809" Phone
Number. This is a very important issue of Scam Busters because it
alerts
you
to a scam
that is spreading *extremely* quickly can easily cost you $2400 or
more,
and
is
difficult to avoid unless you are aware of it. We'd like to thank
Verizon
for bringing
this scam to our attention. This scam has also been identified by the
National Fraud
Information Center and is costing victims a lots of money. There are
lots
of
different
permutations of this scam.
HERE'S HOW IT WORKS: You will receive a message on your answering
machine
or
your pager, which asks you to
call a number beginning with area code 809. The reason you're asked to
call
varies. It
can be to receive information about a family member who has been ill,
to
tell you
someone has been arrested, died, to let you
know you have won a wonderful prize, etc. In each case, you are told
to
call the 809
number right away. Since there are so many new area codes these days,
people
unknowingly
return these calls. If you call from the US, you will apparently be
charged
$2425
per minute. Or, you'll get a long recorded message. The point is, they
will
try to keep
you on the phone as long as possible to increase the charges.
Unfortunately, when you get your phone bill, you'll often be charged
more
than
$24100.00.
WHY IT WORKS:
The 809 area code is located in the British Virgin Islands (The
Bahamas).
The 809 area
code can be used as a "pay-per-call" number, similar to 900 numbers in
the
US. Since 809
is not in the US, it is not covered by US regulations of 900 numbers,
which
require that
you be notified and warned of charges and rates involved when you call
a
"pay-per-call"
number. There is also no requirement that the company provide a time
period
during
which you may
terminate the call without being charged. Further, whereas many US
homes
that have 900
number blocking to avoid these
kinds of charges, do not work in preventing calls to the 809 area code.
We recommend that no matter how you get the message, if you are asked
to
call a number
with an 809 area code that you don't recognize just disregard the
message.
Be wary of
email or calls asking you to call an 809 area code number. It's
important
to
prevent
becoming a victim of this scam, since trying to fight the charges
afterwards
can become
a real nightmare. That's because you did actually make the call. If you
complain, both
your local phone company and your long distance carrier will not want
to
get
involved
and will most likely tell you that they are simply providing the
billing
for
the foreign
company. You'll end up dealing with a foreign company that argues they
have
done nothing wrong.
Please forward this entire message to your friends, family and
colleagues
to
help them
become aware of this scam.
Sandi Van Handel
AT&T Field Service Manager
(920) 687-904
Additional information can be obtained from the following AT&T Web Site
<http://www.att.com/fraud/home.html#thre/s/>
http://www.att.com/fraud/home.html#thre/s/