Slappy00
Golden Member
Heres the message, but would not the number have a different prefix like 2-809-xxx-xxxx? Anyways heres the message, I cannot tell you whether or not this is true but ill post it here just in case it is.
> 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
> 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
> AT&T Field Service Manager
> (920)687-904
> 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
> 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
> AT&T Field Service Manager
> (920)687-904
