Cactus Village Community

Never Dial 809 Area Code . . . by CAO Terry Cooper

Jul 08, 2003

Never dial the 809 area code unless you are positive whom you are calling!

Don?’t respond to e-mails, phone calls or web pages which tell you to call an ?“809?” phone number. This is a scam that has cost indi?­viduals $24,100 or more. This scam has been identified by the National Fraud Information Center and is costing victims a lot of money. Here?’s how it works: You will receive a message on your an?­swering machine or your pager, which asks you to call a number beginning with 809. The reason you?’re asked to call varies. It can be to receive information about a family member who has died, to let you know you have won a prize, etc. 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 $2,425.00 per minute. Sometimes you?’ll get a long recorded message. The point is, ?“they?” will try to keep you on the phone as long as they can. Un?­fortunately 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). It is similar to 900 numbers but since it is not in the U.S. it is not covered by U.S. regulations, which requires that you be notified and warned of charges and rates. Also 900 blocks do not work against the 809 area code. BEWARE!!!. . .☺