Scam Warning 809 Area Code

[tammysyb]

Hey, not sure if this is posted elsewhere--did a search and couldn't find it. Also not sure if it should be posted in this section or elsewhere??? But definitely wanted the warning out there in the interest of saving both headaches and our money! LOL! Anyways, here it is (*borrowed*):

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.

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
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

[Bloo]

raelly scary stuff!
thanks for sharng that

[puddin57]

this is good to know!!! great idea to post it

[hguan86]

Thank you very much for telling us!

[myguppy]

Crazy!!
My mom uses Telus for her phone, and they charged her about $5 a month to be able to call Long distance.. she told them to knock it off, and to dial long distance now she has to use a calling card- it can be a pain, but she'll be safe from this!
:S scary scary stuff though!!

[tofuu]

Thanks for the heads up! All of my friend (& myself) have been getting these automated calls telling us our vehicle insurance has expired and wants us quickly re-new it - which is different from this one but is a scam as well (depending if you fall for it) My one friend wondered if his bike had insurance he didn't know about since he doesn't own a car LOL

[shdiep]

Oh my gosh, scary!

[matisa]

wow thnks for the info !!

[sumi]

thanks for the info!
that's pretty scary & I have family members living in the states!!

[Sally888]

I snoped it and basically there is some truth to this story,snopes confirms it as a mixture of true and false . So while yes certain 809 numbers can do this most cannot, and most do warn you of upfront charges, I suggest to read the article in full its quite interesting.

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

[xbbx]

Thanks for the heads up! All of my friend (& myself) have been getting these automated calls telling us our vehicle insurance has expired and wants us quickly re-new it - which is different from this one but is a scam as well (depending if you fall for it) My one friend wondered if his bike had insurance he didn't know about since he doesn't own a car LOL

I got that yesterday! I was like that cant be true we just bought a new car 2 months ago. Grr im on the DNC list and im still getting calls like this.
I get the stupid you won a trip to the Caribbean on my cell >_>

[evathomas]

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. Have something important to tell you." Then she repeated a phone number beginning with 809. "We didn't respond".

[sumi]

there is also another kind of fraud that Bell Canada has warned about recently...I received a letter today at work advising us to change our voicemail password frequently to something that cannot be guessed easily....

here's a related link
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...90130/20090130

[cenyasmom]

Thanks for the heads up! All of my friend (& myself) have been getting these automated calls telling us our vehicle insurance has expired and wants us quickly re-new it - which is different from this one but is a scam as well (depending if you fall for it) My one friend wondered if his bike had insurance he didn't know about since he doesn't own a car LOL

I get this call frequently, and it is so annoying, what can you do to
stop it.