MONITORING THE FUTURE
more phone scams
The scam works basically like this:
You get home and notice that the message light is blinking on your
answering machine. You listen to the message, which has several wrinkles,
but the best one is the caller asks you to call a number beginning with
area code 809 to receive information about a family member who has been
ill. (They may also tell you someone has been arrested, died, you have
won a wonderful prize, etc.)
In any event, concerned or curious, you make the call. Sometimes
the phone will be answered by a person who claims to speak broken English.
(The idea is to keep you on the line to build up charges.) Or, sometimes
you will just get a long recorded message. The bottom line is, when your
phone bill comes, you see this incredible charge, oftentimes more than
$100.00 dollars!
Crooks are using the 809 numbers as pay-per-calls and to get
around US Regulations and 900 number blocking. Every time you call the
number, they get a greatly inflated rebate from the foreign phone company.
Since the 809 numbers are in the Caribbean, they are not bound by US 900#
regulations that require them to warn you of the charge and rate involved,
and also to provide a time period during which you terminate the call
without being charged.
The newest twist to this scam is to page people using the 809 area
code. With the new area code changes that are being made, people
unknowingly are returning these calls. When the bill comes, there are HUGE
charges for the calls.
My suggestion is that no matter how you get the message, if you are
asked to call a number with an 809 area code that you do not recognize,
DO NOT RETURN THE CALL! It is bad enough that the criminal is invading
your privacy, do not let them invade your wallet as well!
Scams of this type are extremely hard to prosecute and since you
did actually make the call, neither your local phone company or your long
distance carrier will want to get involved. They will tell you that they
are simply providing the billing for the foreign company. You end up
trying to deal (over the phone) with a foreign company that feels they
have done no wrong. It can turn into a real nightmare!
Another scam is that you received an unsigned check for $7,000.00
or some other large amount. You are instructed to call a 900 # to get the
check activated. Again, you will be guided through a series of questions
designed to keep you on the phone for a while as the inflated charged
minutes add up. The kicker that keeps them out of jail is that they state
the chances of receiving the awards, with the $1.00 check having a 1:1
ratio. You get $1.00 and they get lots more from you via your phone bill.
Please forward this message to friends and let people be aware.