The Best Frauds, Scams, and Big Company Cons in America Today

The Dominican Republic 809 Telephone Scam

We have not substantiated this article, submitted by a reader. However, the 809 area code is in the Dominican Republic. All readers be wary of this possible scam. If you have any further authoritative information on the issue, please write us. As always, BestFrauds is on the lookout for anything that will hurt a large part of the U.S. consumer segment. This one seems to qualify.

SUMMARY:        Unregulated, extreme charges for telephone time. Nature of Fraud: Here is the reader submission it its entirety. You evaluate it yourself for validity. Give us feedback on anything you know (authoritatively) to confirm or counteract the issue presented here. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Phone scam Alert! The following informational message was received by me from a friend at the Nevada Department of Public Safety, Investigation Division. Many of you might already be aware of this scam, however, since it continues to surface on a regular basis, the Nevada Special Investigations Unit thought it might be beneficial to remind recipients of this information. Pass this on to friends and associates. SA Gerald W. Becknell Infragard Coordinator Federal Bureau Of Investigation gbecknell@fbi.gov From the Nevada Department of Public Safety SUBJECT: 809 area code 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 to all your friends and family so they don't get scammed! MAJOR SCAM: Don't respond to Emails, phone calls, or web pages which tell you to call an "809" Phone Number. This is a very important issue of Scam Busters because it alerts you to a scam that is spreading *extremely* quickly can easily cost you $2400 or more, and is difficult to avoid unless you are aware of it. We'd like to thank Verizon for bringing this scam to our attention. This scam has also been identified by the National Fraud Information Center and is costing victims a lots of money. There are lots of different permutations of this scam. HERE'S 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, 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 US, you will apparently 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 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. The 809 area code can be used as a "pay-per-call" number, similar to 900 numbers in the US. Since 809 is not in the US, 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. Further, whereas many U.S. homes that have 900 number blocking to avoid these kinds of charges, it does not work in preventing calls to the 809 area code. We recommend that no matter how you get the message, if you are asked to call a number with an 809 area code that you don't recognize, just disregard the message. Be wary of email or calls asking you to call an 809 area code number. It's important to prevent becoming a victim of this scam, since trying to fight 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last Updated Sept, 12, 2002