Telephone scam
I got this in a work e-mail today.
I heard about this a couple months ago on the news, but now I've received
more info.
Subject: Fw: Fw: TELEPHONE FRAUD]
This could possibly be important!!
>
>
> > Subject: TELEPHONE FRAUD
> > Importance: High
> >
> > Extremely Important!
> > Store Managers, Please print this off for all your associates to read
and post one copy in your break room. This is for the best interest of our
company along with their own personal interest for their phone expense. Any
questions, please call me at 994-4771.
> > > <<FW Area Codes to Avoid.htm>>
>
IMPORTANT INFO ABOUT DO NOT CALL AREA CODES
We actually received a call last week from the 809 area code.>The woman said
"Hey, this is Karen. Sorry I missed you--get back to us quickly.Have
something important to tell you." Then she repeated a phone number
beginning with 809. "We didn't respond". Then this week, we received the
following e-mail: 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 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 $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 is 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
Be careful, guys.
Love,
Buford.
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