[Gllug] Sound Familiar?

[Robert Wood]

An americn version of the new mobile phone scam, but this seems a bit
more costly, if its true....

Subject :  
AT&T Scam Warning 

                    Connie Hoare
                                         To:     Canada (ALL)
                    07/18/2001           cc:
                    10:56 AM             Subject:     AT&T Scam Warning

BEWARE.......
Think twice before you call back any hang-ups or crank calls!  Do not
ever
dial area code (809)!  This scam is being distributed all over the U.S.
It
is pretty scary, especially given the way they try to get you to call.

MAJOR SCAM
Don't respond to E-mails, 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 and
can
easily cost you $24,000 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 lot 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 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.  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 U.S.  Since 809 is not in the U.S., 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.

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.

Things are about to get worse, because that infamous off-shore area code
(809) is in the process of breaking up into smaller chunks, and you'll
soon
have to think twice about calling any of the following area codes:  242,
246, 264, 268, 284, 345, 441, 473, 664, 758, 767, 784, 787, 868, 869,876
as
well as 809.

AT&T's fraud information page: www.att.com/fraud/home.html
<http://www.att.com/fraud/home.html>


Robert Wood [Data Centre Support Technician]
e: robert.wood at interhouse.redbus.com
t: +44 (020) 7531 8700
f: +44 (020) 7531 8701
a: Redbus Interhouse (UK) Limited
   6 / 7 Harbour Exchange Square
   London, E14 9GE
w: http://www.interhouse.redbus.com/


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