Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Warning....area code 809...

Got this from email...some of you may have read it.

About Area Code......809

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: Subject: 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. 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 or Canada , 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 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

4 comments:

Puteri said...

some truth in that email but overly exaggerated. Check this out:
http://www.snopes.com/fraud/telephone/809.asp

Scott said...

Those numbers are way off; calling the 809 area code (that's actually the Dominican Republic, not British Virgin Islands) results in standard international rates (with my phone company, 15-25 cents/minute). But yes, you could easily end up with a $10+ charge on your phone bill.

Never calling the Dominican Republic is just silly, if you have family there, or plan to visit, or do business with a company there. The best advice is to look up an area code before calling an unknown number, such as at www.WhereCall.com. Or, you can enter the whole number into your favorite search engine (in the 809-555-1212 format).
-Scott

Nightwing said...

Hi Puteri,

Thank you for the link.

You have a great week ahead now..cheers.

Nightwing said...

Helo Scott,

Thank you for dropping by and the web site link.

Cheers.