Watch out new area code

[opsspec1991]

WATCH OUT NEW AREA CODE

Costly NEW AREA CODE: READ AND PASS ALONG
809 Area Code

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 did not respond. Then this week, we received the following e-mail:


Do Not DIAL AREA CODE 809, 284, AND 876 from the U.S. or Canada .


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 informat ion 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. or Canada , you will apparently be charged a minimum of $2425 per-minute.


And you'll also 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<http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=6045>


SNOPES VERIFIES IT'S TRUE:<http://www.snopes.com/fraud/telephone/809..asp>Link Removed ke&sp-date-range=-1&sp-x=any&sp-c=100&sp-m=1&sp-s=0

 

[wolf_fire]

The 809 area code from the Dominican Republic has been an area code for many decades. If you know the person you are dialing in the Dominican Republic it WILL have an 809 area code and you can call it safely.

This post has nothing to do with "new area codes" being formed all the time. Also, 284 is the British Virgin Islands and 876 is Jamaica.

Link Removed

snopes.com: 809 Area Code Scam

Link Removed

809 Area Code: location, cities, map and time zone

Link Removed

The above links took all of about 30 seconds to find. If you actually read about the legitimacy of this "scam", it has been around since the mid 1990's (nearly 20 years), so this information is far from new and has absolutely nothing to do with 809 being a new area code. As is true with anything, if you don't know the number do a little research first. If it is a hospital or police calling about a family member the number should be easily traceable through an Internet search. If it is a prize that you've never signed up for, don't call the number. However, as the links also showed, to get even a $10,000 long distance charge, they would have had to keep you on the phone for many many hours. They said the scam, if you fall for it, at most would be no more than $100.

Exaggeration and hyperbole, once again from the master.

 

[telpinaro]

Didn't know this was going around again... seen it many times over the years!

 

[Firefighterchen]

What would they do if you didn't pay? What if it was a burner phone? Or you called back on a pay phone? Would calling collect cause a system failure?

Sent from my HTCONE using USA Carry mobile app

 

[wolf_fire]

What would they do if you didn't pay? What if it was a burner phone? Or you called back on a pay phone? Would calling collect cause a system failure?

Sent from my HTCONE using USA Carry mobile app

They're just long distance charges is all. Same deal as if you didn't pay any phone bill. Also, for just a few minutes of being on the phone the charges are not going to be that much. It's the real buffoons who stayed on the phone an inordinate amount of time that had the high phone bills.

Interesting question though. I'm not sure how billing works with the phone company, but I'm pretty sure this would be the route things would go: Domincan charges our phone carrier, our phone carrier passes the bill to us, so now we owe our carrier and not the Dominican. I would bet that if we didn't pay then our carrier would just drop us.

Any thoughts from those that might work in phone billing?