Joe, Please clean up your email headers...especially when they are that long... Secondly, I suggest NEVER forwarding emails of this nature, unless they contain a link to a reputable site. This is how facts get misconstrued... Here is a link to the full story, from a source that does research this information:
http://www.scambusters.org/809Scam.html Let's not believe everything we read in an email, with no link to a reputable site... Though this story has facts, it also has some misleading information. Jeff Dougherty Intrepid Video TV/VCR 263 S Front St Steelton PA 17113 fax...717-564-4952 www.intrepid-video.com www.tech-repair.net ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joe Tech2004" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Email list for ELECTRONICS PROFESSIONALS only" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, January 16, 2004 3:49 PM Subject: [Techs] Re: Telephone Area Code Scam I noticed allot of talk on here re: telephone scam.... I just recieved this from my uncle in PA. as an attachment, so I copy and pasted so it would be in plain text format. Here it is: ================================= Fwd: !! 809 Area Code!! Subject: DON'T EVER DIAL AREA CODE 809, 284 AND 876 THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION PROVIDED TO US 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 and 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" area 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 lot 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 $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 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. 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 e-mail, 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 Hande AT&T Field Service Manager (920)687-904 ______________________________ IncrediMail - Email has finally evolved - Click Here ---------------------------------------------- ---- Joes....Electronics (Joe:Tech/2004) [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fax::509-479-2283 _________________________________________ Please include original text when replying to this email. Once you get your unit repaired, please post the fix to the group. Order your tech repair CD today, Version 3.0 only $49.00-more monitor tips-user friendly program. [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.tech-repair.net ______ Techs mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://intrepid-video.com/mailman/listinfo/techs_intrepid-video.com Go to the link above and scroll to the bottom to enter your email address
