Area Code
809... Carribean Phone
Scam
Here's
a heads-up about a current scam concerning numbers with
"809" area codes.... spread the word !!
BE
CAREFUL!
This is a fraudulent message on 809 Numbers received the other
day:
"Subject: Unpaid Account
I am writing to give you a final 24 hours to settle your outstanding
account.If I have not received the settlement in full, I will
commence legal proceedings without further delay.If you would
like to discuss this matter to avoid court action, call Mike
Murray
at Global Communications on 1-809-496-2700"
The scam works basically like this:
You get home and notice that the message light is blinking on
your answering machine. You listen to the message, which has
several wrinkles, but the best one is the caller asks you to
call a number beginning with Area Code 809 to receive information
about a family member who has been ill.
(They may also tell you someone has been arrested, died, you
have won a wonderful prize, etc.)
In any event, concerned or curious, you make the call to the
809 Number.
Sometimes the phone is answered by someone who claims to speak
broken
English. (The idea is to keep you on the line to build up charges.)
Or, sometimes you will just get a long recorded message. The
bottom line is, when your phone bill comes, you see this incredible
charge, oftentimes more than $100.000!
Sometimes
they will bill you almost $2,500 a minute !!!
Crooks
are using the 809 numbers as "pay-per-calls" and to
get around the US Regulations and 900 number blocking. Every
time you call the number,
they get a greatly inflated rebate from the foreign phone company.
Since 809 numbers are in the Caribbean, they aren't bound by
the US 900# regulations that require them to warn you of the
charge and the rate involved, and also a time period during which
you may terminate the call without being charged.
The
newest twist to this scam is to page people using the 809 numbers. With
the new area code changes, people unknowingly are returning these
calls.When the bill comes, there are HUGE charges for the calls.
My
suggestion is 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, DO NOT RETURN THE CALL! It is bad enough that
the criminal is invading your privacy, don't let them invade
your wallet as well!
Scams of this type are extremely hard to prosecute and since
you did actually make the call to the 809 number, neither your
local phone company or your long distance carrier will want to
get involved. They'll tell you that they
are simply providing the billing for the foreign company. You
end up trying to deal (over the phone) with a foreign phone company
that feels they have done no wrong. It can turn into a real nightmare!
Please
forward this message to friends and let people become aware of
it!
Let's cut short the 809 number problem.
You
are toooooo coooool for words !!
You Are XARDA the GREAT
Thank you ! ..... Kitty Houghton
5/3/01