Beware of 809 area code

[ScarabChris]

Got this in an email from a friend. He says his mother got nailed by it.

New Area Code 809? VERY IMPORTANT

PLEASE READ Be sure you read this and pass it on...

I checked it out with AT&T and snopes - it's true. Please read all of this.

809 Area Code

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.. I have something important to tell you.' Then she repeated a phone number beginning with 809We did not respond. Then this week, we received the following e-mail:

Do Not 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.

They get you to call by telling you that it is information about a family member who has been ill or to tell you someone has been arrested, died, or 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 U.S. , you will apparently be charged $2,425 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. WHY IT WORKS:

The 809area code is located in the Dominican Republic ......

The charges afterward 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..

AT&T VERIFIES IT'S TRUE :http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=6045

SNOPES VERIFIES IT'S TRUE: http://www.snopes.com/fraud/telephone/809.asp

Edited February 24, 2010 by ScarabChris

[DJWILLIAMS]

Thanks for the heads up!!

David

[one4water]

Reminds me of a scam from a while back I heard about. May have been an urban legend but who knows. A couple of guys got together and started their own long distance phone company. Back when everyone was using services like 1010usa for cheap long distance calls on land lines. They named their companies "it doesn't matter" and "I don't Care" and names like that. This way when you called teh operator and they asked how you wanted to be connected and you said "oh, it doesn't matter" they had to connect you with that company since it is listed as a provider. They charged like $200.00 per minute. From what I remembered, the operators were nto allowed to make a recommendation for any one service so even though they knew it was bad, they had to put you through. New laws had to be passed to prevent people from doing this in teh future. For a while though, these guys made mint by playing the system.

Like I said, it may have been just a story but with how people are these days, it could very well have been true

[wiley]

Thanks.

We get a lot of business phone calls from the Carib so we'll take the extra step to look out for this.

[Jup31]

More info here:

http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/a/area809.htm

[renagade69]

More info here:

http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/a/area809.htm

Dirtbags I tell you.

[Lprizman]

good info!

Thanks

Edited February 27, 2010 by Lprizman

[Trollnheel]

There must be something wrong with earning money thru honest means these days....