Connecticut Better Business Bureau Issues Warning about Area Codes Used to Scam Phones

April 28, 2011 - PRLog -- Long Distance Phone Scams Can Run up Hundreds of Dollars in Long Distance Charges

Connecticut BBB advises consumers and businesses not to fall for a long distance scam involving several area codes.  Though the ruse is not new the Federal Communications Commission (FTC) says mobile phones are now being targeted as well as land lines.

Con artists are leaving voicemail messages and sending emails urging the recipient to call a telephone number with a “809,” “284,” “876,” “649” or other area codes to collect a prize, contact a supposedly sick relative or use a telephone sex service.

In another twist, similar calls are being received from domestic area codes but are in fact associated with costly international pay-per-call phone numbers.  The FTC says although wireless companies are working to block suspicious telephone numbers on their networks, consumers are still vulnerable.

The scam comes in two varieties:
1. Your wireless phone rings once or twice, the caller then hangs up and the caller ID identifies it as a missed call from a 649 area code.
2. A voicemail message is left on a home telephone encouraging you to call an international area code
     
If you return the call, you are charged expensive long distance rates for a call outside the United States, often to Canada or the Caribbean.  The “694” area code goes to Turks and Caicos, “”809” to the Dominican Republic, “284” to the British Virgin Islands and “876” to Jamaica.  People who return the calls only discover the charges when they receive their monthly statement.

Consumers and businesses can minimize chances of being scammed by:

•Checking unfamiliar area codes before returning a call
•Understanding that many 3-digit area codes associated with Caribbean locations connect callers to international phone numbers, and
•If you don’t make international calls, you can ask your phone company or wireless carrier to block incoming international calls

Victims are urged to file a complaint with the FCC online at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/809.html or by telephone at 1-888-225-5322.

To check the reliability of a company and find trustworthy businesses, visit BBB online.

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Founded in 1928, Connecticut BBB is an unbiased non-profit organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. For more advice on finding companies and businesses, start your search with trust at www.bbb.org.