Scam scares victims into calling number
Once thought to be an urban legend, the 809 phone scam is anything but a fairy tale as offshore con men have scammed thousands of dollars from unsuspecting people over the past few years.
“It’s for real,” said Beth Furbush of the Middle Tennessee Better Business Bureau. “It can cost a person thousands of dollars which they will have to pay. We haven’t had any reports of it happening here but it is a legitimate scam which has victimized people elsewhere in the country so we’re advising people to be cautious.”
According to information provided by Ben Lomand Telephone, the scam often preys on the fears and/or greed of victims. In some cases, a person may receive a message on their answering machine, advising them a relative or loved one is sick or has been killed. The victim is then told to call a number, beginning with area code 809, for information. Other area codes have also been used for the scam, but 809 is the most prominent one. The scam could also include a similar message, advising the victim they have won a prize and to call the number.
Unconfirmed reports say a caller could be charged as much as $2,425 per minute. Other reports say long recorded messages seek to keep the caller on the line as long as possible while charges add up. Realistically, experts believe the amounts have been exaggerated, although it could still cost a person hundreds of dollars.
The 809 calls originate from the Bahamas and are under a pay-per-call set up. There are not under U.S. regulations governing 900 numbers, which are usually set up for pay-per-call status and are required to tell you of the charges. Similar scams have also been used over the Internet.
According to the Better Business Bureau, it is hard to fight the toll charges because the victim actually made the call. The victim is then left to haggle with an off-shore company about the bill, with the company arguing it has done nothing wrong.
There is also a form of the scam whereby a person may be called directly by the scammer and then transferred to another line. The transfer may be made to the overpriced, pay-per-call system without the victim knowing, thereby incurring charges.
According to Furbush, the best plan is to inquire into the legitimacy of any area code which is not recognizable before returning the call. The origin of area code numbers can be discovered by consulting with your phone service carrier. Most calls, Furbush said, are legitimate; however, using a bit of caution could save a person money since it generally takes only minutes to check out the likely origin of the call.