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WATCH OUT!!! Costly NEW AREA CODEWATCH OUT NEW AREA CODE Costly NEW AREA CODE: READ AND PASS ALONG809 Area CodeWe 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 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. 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>http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-q=area+code+809&x=26&y=15&sp-a=00062d45-sp00000000&sp-advanced=1&sp-p=all&sp-w-control=1&sp-w=alike&sp-date-range=-1&sp-x=any&sp-c=100&sp-m=1&sp-s=0
Specifically, four important pieces of information to note about this scam are: Not every phone number in the 809 area code is part of this scam, and calling such a number will not necessarily result in exorbitantly large charges on your phone bill. Most numbers within the 809 area code are ordinary, legitimate phone numbers within the Dominican Republic. This scam has been used with other area codes besides 809. The amounts of money involved have become greatly exaggerated as this warning has circulated on the Internet. This scam is no longer very common, and the average U.S. resident is unlikely to ever encounter it.
Thanks for pointing out the disclaimer, Alan; however, since there would be no legitimate reason a DR number would be calling me, I can heed the warning.
What I would like to know is how many people are stupid enough to dial it and get hit with a big charge and actually fork over the money?
Quote from: Libertas on January 24, 2014, 07:37:54 AMWhat I would like to know is how many people are stupid enough to dial it and get hit with a big charge and actually fork over the money?There are suckers and/or idiots born every minute.
Last night at about 9:30 I got a call from area code 268. I didn't answer it. this morning I remembered this thread and went and looked it up. That area code is for Antigua and Barbuda.Interesting.
Quote from: Alphabet Soup on January 24, 2014, 05:11:12 PMLast night at about 9:30 I got a call from area code 268. I didn't answer it. this morning I remembered this thread and went and looked it up. That area code is for Antigua and Barbuda.Interesting.Your bankers?
