Three scam area codes not to call

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Posted: Wed May 06, 2009 10:39 pm

This email has gone around before but in case some in the US haven't seen it.....

Quote:

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 809 We didn't
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.

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 a re 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 $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.

WHY IT WORKS:
The 809 area 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.snopescom/fraud/telephone/809.asp

Baiting Guru Joined: 08 Jul 2004 Posts: 11857 Location: UK

http://www.snopes.com/fraud/telephone/809.asp

Quote:

Origins: Although the basics of the "809 area code" scam are real, this item has also become one of the most relentlessly overpublicized instances of online scarelore, with dire warnings all out of proportion to the scam's rate of occurrence and potential for damage having continuously circulated on the Internet for the better part of a decade.

Specifically, four important pieces of information to note about this scam are:
Not every phone number in the 809 area code is part of this scam, and calling such a number will not necessarily result in exorbitantly large charges on your phone bill. Most numbers within the 809 area code are ordinary, legitimate phone numbers.

This scam has been used with other area codes besides 809.

The amounts of money involved have been greatly exaggerated as this warning has circulated on the Internet.

This scam is not very common; the average U.S. resident is unlikely to ever encounter it.

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