DO  NOT  press  90#  for  ANYONE

I  received  a  telephone  call  last  evening  from  an  individual  identifying  himself  as  an  AT&T  Service  technician  who  was  conducting  a  test  on  telephone  lines.   He  stated  that  to complete  the  test  I  should  touch  nine(9),  zero(0),  the  pound  sign (#),  and  then  hang  up. Luckily,  I was  suspicious  and  refused.

Upon  contacting  the  telephone  company,  I  was  informed  that  by  pushing  90#,  you  give  the  requesting  individual  full  access  to  your telephone  line,  which  enables  them  to  place  long  distance  calls  billed  to  your  home  phone  number.

I  was  further  informed  that  this  scam  has  been  originating  from  many  local  jails/prisons  I  have  also  verified  this  information  with  UCB  Telecom, Pacific  Bell,  MCI,  Bell  Atlantic  and  GTE.   Please beware.

DO  NOT  press  90#  for  ANYONE.
 

DON'T  EVER  DIAL  AREA  CODE  809,  284, 649  AND  876

This one is being distributed all over the US. This is pretty scary, especially given the way they try to get you to call.

The woman said "Hey, this is Karen. Sorry I missed you--get back to  us quickly. Have something important to tell you."  Then she repeated a phone
 number beginning with 809.  "We didn't respond".

MAJOR SCAM:
Don't respond to Emails, phone calls, or web pages which tell you to  call an "809" area 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.

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.

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, 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 $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  $24,100.00.

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. homes that have 900 number blocking to avoid these  kinds of charges, do not work in preventing 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, just disregard the message.
Be wary of e-mail, or 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.

AT&T  VERIFIES  IT'S  TRUE