My tech expert has a message service that warns him (and his clients) of all
serious matters. This was sent to him. Its real, unfortunately. marcel deste
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From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Full-name: Computdctr
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Fri, 3 Aug 2001 16:39:46 EDT
Subject: 809
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Please note the following, and be advised to heed the warning.
Barry
Better to be safe then sorry, especially since this sorry comes with a
high price tag.
Warning - 809 Area Code Trick Can Be Extremely Costly.
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 $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, but HERE'S HOW IT WORKS:
You will receive a message on your answering machine or 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 and 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 $24,000.00.
WHY IT WORKS:
The 809 area code is located in the British Virgin Islands (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 U.S., it is not covered
by U.S. 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 U.S. phones have 900 number
blocking to avoid these kinds of charges, 900 number blocking will not
prevent 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 and/or investigate further and 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.
Things are about to get worse, because that infamous off-shore area
code (809) is in the process of breaking up into smaller ones.
Soon, you will have to think twice about calling any of the following
area codes:
242, 246, 264, 268, 284, 345, 441, 473,
664, 758, 767 784,
787, 868, 869, 876 as well as 809.
For non-believers - Please visit these websites!!
National Fraud Information Center
http://www.fraud.org/
AT&T's fraud information page
http://www.att.com/fraud/home.html#three
