DONT DIAL AREA CODE 809 , 284 AND 876

http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=6045


Subject: DONT DIAL AREA CODE 809 , 284 AND 876

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION PROVIDED TO US BY AT&T. DON'T 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 US , you will apparently could 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. 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


Additional information on these area codes can be found from ATT at:
http ://www.consumer.att.com/consumertips/areacode.html

You can have a block put on your phoneline to avoid such charges. A couple of months ago we were billed nearly $500 in charges to some 900 style number. No way we placed those calls.....although perhaps my pc did. (We were having problems then)

Verizon gave us a one time credit and put a block on our phone.