Area Code Scam Info

[Besttechie]

My girlfriend sent me this yesterday, her phone provider AT&T sent it to her.

B

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Subject: 809 Area Code #

IMPORTANT INFO ABOUT AREA CODE SCAM

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 w ill 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

our 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

More info here: http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/809.asp

[TheTerrorist_75]

From the Spokane BBB website.

http://www.spokane.bbb.org/alerts/alerts.h...=227&newstype=1

SPAM REGARDING DIALING 809#s HAS SOME HOLES IN IT!

Date: August 6, 2003

SPAM REGARDING DIALING 809, 284 OR 876 HAS SOME HOLES IN IT!

Warnings about dialing 809 numbers have come from a variety of sources for YEARS now…So, in the books, this is NOT a NEW SCAM. Fraud organizations have been well aware of it, and so have Internet users, for the email has circulated as forwarded, or unexplained messages in user’s e-mail boxes for well over a couple years. TheLocalBBB even issued an alert on this very subject in March, 2002 due to the persistent inquiries and confusion we’d received.

While TheLocalBBB has not heard directly from victims of this very odd alert from such places as VERIZON, AT&T, and Security Divisions of large corporations, a Sandpoint company actually received one such call JUST last week from an 809 area code. Here’s how it goes: Someone (in this case, a woman) leaves a message on your answering machine stating, "Hey, this is Karen. Sorry I missed you--get back to us quickly. Have something important to tell you." Then she repeats a phone number beginning with 809. �The company didn't respond.

Because SCAMBUSTERS.ORG is being referenced in many of these SPAMS, we are going to let them give you, the reader an update on the 809 Scam. Here it is, in their words:

Reprinted from Internet ScamBusters Issue #34

September 16, 1999

We recently discovered that an issue of Internet ScamBusters - written in 1996 - has resurfaced and is being sent around the Net as spam. This email is about the 809 area code scam, and the "revised" version contains some important mistakes. It is being sent around as if it comes from Internet ScamBusters.

In this issue, we'll correct the mistakes and give you an update on how this scam has changed - and not changed - in the past three years.

First, the 809 scam is still thriving, so it's still important to protect yourself. Here is a brief review of the 809 scam:

The "809" scam has many permutations but they all involve a message to you (either by email, phone or pager) that you immediately call or fax a number in the "809" area code or some other area code in the Caribbean. Examples of why you should call or fax the phone number include avoiding litigation, receiving information about someone who has been arrested or died, winning a wonderful prize, or getting a job.

The "809" area code is in the Caribbean, yet most people are not aware that they are making an international call when they dial the "809" area code, since you simply dial 1-809-xxx-xxxx to make the call. No international codes are required.

The problem comes from the fact that some phone numbers in the "809" area code are "pay-per-call" numbers (such as 900 numbers in the US) - but there are no legal requirements that callers be informed that they are being charged extra in the Caribbean. When you return one of these "pay-per-call" 809 calls, the scamsters try to keep you on the phone as long as possible, and you may be charged very high rates for the call, reportedly up to $25 per minute.

It is difficult to get credit for these charges if you do get scammed since you did make the call, and resolving the problem involves getting credit from international phone companies.

Since there are now many area codes in the Caribbean, this scam is no longer confined to just the 809 area code.

You can see the original issues about the 809 scam at http://www.scambusters.org/ScamBusters8.html and http://www.scambusters.org/ScamBusters9.html

Now let's look at the mistakes in the new emails and posts about this topic:

Mistake: The beginning of the email says: "DO NOT EVER DIAL AREA CODE 809."

Comment: This is not our recommendation and we never wrote this. Most phone numbers in the 809 area code are legitimate.

Mistake: "Please forward this entire issue of Internet ScamBusters! to all your friends, family and colleagues to help them become aware of this scam so they don't get ripped off."

Comment: We never asked people to send the issue to everyone they know. This type of request is typical of spam, which we are very against. (We have asked subscribers to invite friends who would be interested to subscribe if they like Internet ScamBusters, but that's VERY different from everyone you know.) Please don't forward the bogus email message to anyone if you receive it. Just hit the delete key.

Mistake: The 809 area code is new.

Comment: The 809 area code is not new, and we never stated it was. It has been around for many years.

Mistake: Some spam versions of this email say that charges can be as high as $10,000.

Comment: This, of course, is very unlikely. We suggest charges might be as high as $100. $10,000 would mean the scamsters succeeded in keeping people on the phone for many, many hours.

Mistake: The new emailed version also includes a mistake in our first issue, which we corrected the second issue. We had mistakenly written: "The 809 area code is located in the British Virgin Islands (the Bahamas)."

Comment: Obviously, the British Virgin Islands and the Bahamas are not the same country.

Update on the 809 Scam

There are a number of changes that have occurred involving the 809 scam since we wrote about this in Internet ScamBusters three years ago.

Area codes have changed in many of the countries. Now, 809 is just for the Dominican Republic. For example, 242 is the area code for the Bahamas, 284 is for the British Virgin Islands, and 787 is for Puerto Rico. You can find all the new area codes at http://www.lincmad.com/caribbean.html. Or you can go to AT&T and look up any area code in the world.

You can also find area code maps of various regions in .pdf format at the North American Numbering Plan Administration site.

We have not been able to verify if charges are still as high as $25 per minute. It may be that the price today is significantly lower.

We spoke with Mr. Chavez at AT&T on September 12, 1999. He said that there have not been any changes lately regarding Caribbean area codes or scams that he is aware of. We have learned that AT&T did put out a bulletin that this scam continues to thrive. You can read their alert here..

We'd also heard there are now new related scams using the prefixes 500 and 700. These prefixes can be used for adult entertainment and for pay per call numbers. Some of these numbers are in the country Vanuatu. Mr. Chavez confirmed this.

You can learn more about this scam at:

Better Business Bureau (1997)

National Fraud Information Center

TheLocalBBB suggests that if you have become a victim of charges accrued as a result of responding to these calls, file a formal complaint with the FCC as well as your state Utilities and Transportation Commission. If your phone company won’t help you resolve your issue, then stand up and let your regulatory agencies know about the problem. After all, the phone companies ultimately answer to them.