WR - Phone # scam

[kathy.childress at verizon.com]

I don't normally pass these on, but I work for Verizon and this came 
from our HQ and from ATT HQ.
KathyC
 
  
  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 & 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 $24100 or
  more, and is
  difficult to avoid unless you are aware of it. We
  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 lot of money. There are lots of different
  permutations of
  this scam, but 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, 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's 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
  $24100.00.
  WHY IT WORKS:
  The 809 area code is located in the British Virgin
  Islands (The
  Bahamas). 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. phones have
  900 number blocking to avoid these kinds of
  charges, 900 number
  blocking will not prevent 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 and/or
  investigate further and just disregard the message.
  
  Be wary of emails/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.

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