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© Copyright 2002, Jim Loy
You may have received email asking you to call a phone number, beginning 1-809 . . . offering you a financial opportunity or offering some other good deal (consolidate your credit cards, advice on how to get a job, or something else). One might assume that this is a toll-free call, and what the heck, can't hurt. Well, 1-809 is not a toll-free call, in fact it is an international call to the Caribbean. And some 1-809 numbers are "pay-per-call" numbers, much like the 1-900 numbers in the USA. And that is the scam, the longer they can keep you on their "toll-free" line (maybe even kept on hold), the more you pay. The original email may fraudulently even tell you that the call is "toll-free," but just try to get your money back.
There is also chain email being sent around the Internet, warning you of the above scam. Besides being a pain, this email spreads some incorrect information. It warns you never to call any 1-809 number; well most 1-809 numbers are legitimate; just be aware that you are making an international call. Some of this email even warns you that the phone call may cost you as much as $10,000; someone made that number up; but it may cost you $100 or so.
Most of these scams involve 1-809 numbers. But other numbers may be used. Be aware that U. S. toll-free numbers are 1-800, 1-855 (new), 1-866, 1-877, or 1-888.
See Internet ScamBusters: 809 Area Code Scam Update.