Don’t ever dial area code 809, 284 or 876 unless you know who you are calling. Don’t respond to emails, phone calls, or web pages which tell you to call an “809” area phone number. This scam has been identified by the National Fraud Information Center and is costing victims lots of money. There are many different permutations of this scam.
How it works: You will receive a message on your answering machine or your pager which asks you to call a number beginning with area code 809. The reason you’re asked to call varies. It can be to receive information about a family member who has been ill, to tell you someone has been arrested or has died, 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 $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 charges. Unfortunately, when you get your phone bill, you’ll often be charged more than $24,100.
Why it works: The 809 area code is located in the British Islands (The Bahamas). The 809 area code can be used as a “pay-per-call” number, similar to 900 numbers in the U.S. Since 809 is not in the U.S., it is not covered by U.S. regulations of 900 numbers, which require that you be notified and warned of charges and rates involved when you call a “pay-per-call” number.
There is also no requirement that the company provide a time period during which you may terminate the call without being charged. Also, while many U.S. homes have 900 number blocking to avoid these kinds of charges, the blocking does not work in preventing call to the 809 area code.
No matter how you get the message, if asked to call a number with an 809 area code that you don’t recognize— just disregard the message.
It’s important to prevent becoming a victim of this scam, since trying to fight the charges afterwards can be 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. |
