I received an e-mail the other day which warned me about responding to any fax’s, e-mails or phone calls from anyone with a phone number beginning with area code 809 because it’s a phone scam which has me calling the British Virgin Islands. Once connected I’d be charged $2,400 per minute and kept on the line for at least 10 minutes and receive a charge on my AT&T bill for $24,000. Since this was an international call I’d be required to pay it and I’d have no recourse because AT&T didn’t control those phone lines and charges, they only billed and collected for the foreign company.

I had heard about these so-called area code scams before and decided to find out once and for all if this indeed was a true scam or just an Urban Legend. So I went to the source – AT&T.

Upon investigation I discovered that indeed there is a scam involving Area Code 809 which has been around for the last five years. That it’s been around for five years is scary enough but even scarier is that the legend has grown so big that it has taken on a life of its own and that AT&T was forced to respond to it just to separate fact from fiction.

Let’s deal with the fiction first:

• 809 is the area code for the Dominican Republic not the British Virgin Islands.
• The basic rate for a call to the Dominican Republic is $4.00 a minute not $2,400.
• Based on the E-mail thousands of people have been victimized by this scam when in actuality there have been more inquires about it then victims.

But since this column is called Scam Watch; let’s look at the seamy factual side of the scam:

• Most international calls need you to dial “011” before the call can go through, but there are some locations outside the United States that have area codes that don’t require “011” and resemble domestic long-distance calls, such as 809,284 and 876 which are area codes in the Caribbean.
• Although the basic charge is $4.00 to the Dominican Republic, not the $2,400 as reported, some 809 numbers terminate with a pay-per-call services that permit the levy of additional fees. Because these are off-shore numbers and not subject to U.S laws there is no requirement to inform you before hand of those extra charges.
• In most cases there is a message left on your voice mail or message machine with an “urgent” request for a return phone call regarding a relative who has been hurt, injured or died.
• If you do fall prey to the message and do call back the scammer will try to keep you on the line for as long as possible to increase the long distance surcharge and then say they made a mistake and the person they were calling about isn’t related to you and hang up.
• And finally...if you should find yourself on the receiving end of this scam and have an unusually large phone bill because of this 809 phone call AT&T says you will have to pay it because you made the call and all they are doing is collecting the money and forwarding it to the end user – the scam artist.

So what can we do to protect ourselves from area code fraud like that of 809? AT&T suggests the following:

1. Know where you’re calling before you dial, never call back to a number or area code you do not recognize.
2. Remember that it is usually necessary to dial “011” to reach an international location, but there are some locations outside the U.S., such as the Caribbean and Canada, where telephone numbers resemble domestic long-distance calls – but will carry a much higher international rate if called.
3. If you are unfamiliar with an area code look it up in your phone directory, call the operator or you can go to www.consumer.att.com and look up any area code or country code in the world to know for sure where you’re calling before you dial..
4. The “do not call” list will not apply to this situation and a block on “900” services will not stop calls to “011”, “809” or similar locations.
5. If you’re concerned that someone might return one of these calls you need to contact your long-distance carrier and place a block on your phone for all out-going international calls – this won’t stop the call from coming in but it won’t let you or some one else in your household from calling the number back..
6. If you suspect fraud call the AT&T (or your local long-distance carrier) operator and report it.

In a way the Urban Legend of Area Code 809 is a good thing if more people become aware of the perils of calling numbers they don’t recognize or know. So let your fingers do the walking before you do the talking and regrettable have to pay for it later.

Fred L. Goldenberg is a Certified Senior Advisor and the owner of Senior Benefit Solutions of Michigan. He is a founding member of the Senior Resource Alliance of Northern Michigan.