Don't Dail Area Code 809 , 284 AND 876

[Ts_Bingo_Poker_Casino]

ABOUT AREA CODE
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.
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 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 theBritish Virgin Islands (The Bahamas). 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
Additional information on these area codes can be found from ATT at:
http://www.consumer.att.com/consumertips/areacode.html

[Graham]

Did you get dinged or something?

[losercore]

No way you could get charged $2000 + for a minute. this sounds so insane.

These are legit area codes for The Dominian republic. There has to be some other scam going on here. Calling the area code alone could not cause this.

Sounds like something else is going on here.

[Ts_Bingo_Poker_Casino]

This stuff is true.
It's not a joke.Go to Snopes.com and check on it.
Call the area code and talk for a few mins and when you get the bill tell us about it ok.
I won't call it just to see.
And I got it from my Wife that got it at work in a Police Alert.
She does work at the Police Dept so I would say it's true.
Thanks

[Ts_Bingo_Poker_Casino]

From the ATT website referred to in the post.



QUOTE
Periodically, e-mails warning of a scam involving calls from the 809 area code circulate. Some of the information in the e-mail is true. For example, in the past, there has been some fraud associated with unscrupulous pay-per-call operators in that area code. However, this scam has been less and less of an issue in recent years as a result of work done by AT&T to shut down access to fraudulent pay-per-call operators. In fact, we rarely get actual complaints about this scam.
Furthermore, there is quite a bit of misinformation in the message, especially the highly exaggerated cost of a phone call to numbers in the 809 area code, a legitimate code for the Dominican Republic (not the Virgin Islands, as the e-mail states).

[losercore]

So I was right?

Ok that makes since. Like I was saying it was more than just merley calling the area code as those are legit area codes like I said above.

I was not doubting emails go around like this, nor doubting that there is a scam of some sort going on, I was just saying that there is no way calling a legit area code will cost you $2000 a minute.

It's good to get the word out about this type od stuff, no worries there. I was just making a comment that seems that is way too far fetched. To even attempt to collect $2000 + a minute would be insane.

You could fight this with your phone company at least once and get it taken off anyway. Everybody has fought at least once to get BS charges off their phone bill.

Do you really think a phone company is going to pay these charges? No way. No phone company in the world is going to pay some business in the DR $2000 + a minute for calls. This would be caught so fast no one would end up paying for it.

I like to meet someone that ended up getting caught in this scam AND had to pay for it. I doubt that ever happend. The scam maybe, but paying for it. No way.

[Mitchell]

Hmmm....That is on the rise over here in Aussieland as well.

I'm not exactly too sure how it works over in the US, but over here, if a call is made, it has to be paid for - regardless of the price. Telcos usually try to absorb what they can, but the consumer takes a hit on it. It can be an expensive lesson as i've seen quite a few times (i used to work in the telco industry).

You'd think that consumers nowadays would get smarter with all the exposure to the risks and scams around. But they still do, and whilst that still happens, i guess these swindlers wills till be lurking out there.

Thanks for the heads up!

[losercore]

I recall when 976 #'s were the all the rage. Well some drunk ass at my house called a 976 # and i did not know it. It was only about $200 in charges but i said i'm not paying it and I'm taking my service to any one of the other 4 major phone companies. This was back when we all used land lines. They took it off my bill.

Now with my cell phone I would tell them to screw themselves as I get unlimited miniutes and the phone provider is an idiot if they went of paying for a $2000 a minute bill. No way $2000 a minute makes it past any one at the phone company. That means Joe SHmo who had a $50 phone bill for the past 20 years calls an area code and listens to some message or talks to some person that keeps them on the line for as long as possiable. Maybe even 5 minutes. So his bill is $10,000. Yea right that's getting paid. We're not talking about a few extra hundred bucks here. We are talking about $2000 a minute. That is not happening. These phone companies will not pay that crap unless they are out of their minds and then i blame the phone companie and hope for a good judge in court