FW: DANGEROUS SCAM

ALLPLANETS-HOLLOW Yahoo Group (Old Posts)
1

Lucent Technologies

(303) 850-1000

Subject: FW: VERY IMPORTANT-----Telephone Scam Circulating!

Reminder...
----------
>
> 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 & 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" 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 $24100 or more, and is difficult to

avoid

> unless you are aware of it. We 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 lot of money. There are

lots

> of different permutations of this scam, but
> 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, 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's 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 $24100.00.
> 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. phones have 900 number
blocking
> to avoid these kinds of charges, 900 number blocking will not

prevent

> 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 and/or investigate further and just disregard the
message.
> Be wary of emails/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 Handel

ยทยทยท

-----Original Message-----
Date: Wednesday, February 07, 2001 1:30 PM
Subject: This is a real phone scam!!
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