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-- Don't call 809


Posted by FunkyCrew on May-16-2006 23:40:

Exclamation Don't call 809

actually i'm a dumbass:

About the 809 Area Code �Urban Legend�

Fraudsters have been distributing bogus e-mails through the Internet that are purported to come from AT&T. The topic: a phone scam involving the 809 area code. The scam itself is real, however, the e-mail and warning contain erroneous information. AT&T would like to set the record straight and separate fact from fiction.

The 809 area code scam first surfaced five years ago and continues to victimize consumers on occasion, although much less frequently than in the past. And there have been far more inquiries about it than consumers actually being victimized.

How the Scam Works:

In most cases a message is left on an answering machine or pager requesting the recipient call a number immediately for one of several reasons. The most common involves calling for information about a relative who has died, been arrested or injured. When consumers fall prey and call the number, the scam artist attempts to keep the caller on the line for as long as possible to increase the caller's long distance calling charges. The bogus e-mail claims the 809 area code sends calls to the British Virgin Islands, when in fact 809 is the country code for the Dominican Republic. The e-mail also warns consumers that dialing the 809 area code will result in charges of $2,400 per minute. That simply isn't true. The basic rate for a call to the Dominican Republic is less than $4 a minute although some 809 numbers terminate with pay-per-call services that permit the levy of additional fees. Since numbers located offshore are not subject to U.S. laws, there are no legal requirements that consumers be informed in advance of the extra charge.

And lastly, the e-mail purports to originate within AT&T's corporate offices and includes the name and partial telephone number of an imaginary employee.

Again, to avoid falling prey to the scam, AT&T recommends consumers know where they're calling before they dial. When consumers receive such a message from someone they don't know they should simply disregard it.

Consumers should also be mindful that it is usually necessary to dial 011 to reach an international location. However, there are some locations outside the United States, such as the Caribbean and Canada, where telephone numbers resemble domestic long-distance calls, but carry a higher international rate.

If a consumer isn't familiar with a certain area code, they can visit www.consumer.att.com to look up any area code or country code in the world.


Posted by chinamon on May-16-2006 23:43:

dammit!
i wish you had told me sooner.
i just had a 4 hour phone sex session with a girl (at least i think it was a girl) from an 809 area code.


Posted by Sasha on May-16-2006 23:47:

copy-paste from yorku forum?


Posted by FunkyCrew on May-16-2006 23:50:

quote:
Originally posted by Sasha
copy-paste from yorku forum?


i edited it so it's not that article anymore


Posted by KaiLee on May-17-2006 00:36:

quote:
Originally posted by Sasha
copy-paste from yorku forum?


who cares? she's informing us of something important


Posted by nusty on May-17-2006 00:48:

this has been going on for almost 10 years now. there is another one that uses an area code (it looks like an area code anyway) but its actually the equivalent of a 900 number. It's not uncommon for some of those charges to be over around $100 USD a minute, if done this way.



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