Letter to the Editor

by Robert Andrews

Don’t respond to e-mails, 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.  A full explanation of this scam can be found at http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/scams/809.htm .

The following is a summary.    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 $24-25 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.  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.