Profile
Photos
Comments
AT&T VERIFIES IT'S TRUE :https://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=6045
SNOPES VERIFIES IT'S TRUE: https://www.snopes.com/fraud/telephone/809..asp
How it works:
A friend wrote: 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
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., 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 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.
Teal says I may call them on my cell phone when I am down to 10 minutes left on my pay-as-you go card. Then, what can they do??
Meanwhile, in the past I have posted alerts that have turned out now and then to be not true. I didn't click on the sites at the start of this post, but if any of you do, let me know what you learn.
xx, Teal
Snopes says the amount charged has been greatly exaggerated over time, it's only $25 and you can get it removed from your phone bill by complaining to your phone company. One time someone staying in our rental cabin used that phone number (we have to provide a landline because no cell signal up here) to sign up for some kind of email service and we started having a monthly charge on the phone bill. When I finally noticed it, I called the phone company and asked what it was - they helped me connect to the third-party biller, and I got my money back, surprise, surprise.
