809 area code scam -- warning!

[Guest guest]

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION PROVIDED TO US BY AT & T. DON'T EVER

DIAL AREA CODE 809 UNLESS YOU KNOW THE PERSON YOU ARE CALLING!

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 $24,100 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 lot 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 $2,425 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 $24,100.00.

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, those 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/