809 Area Code Scam

As long as there are all kinds of people in the world, we will always have those who try to take advantage of others. It is incredibly sad to hear of people who have been robbed of their savings or elderly people who have handed over their Social Security payments to fraudsters and crooks. Here are some of the scams and frauds that are going around. Be aware! Email these pages to your friends and family! And don't forget--if someone offers you a deal and it sounds too good to be true, it probably is a scam.

"809" Scams

These are inquiries requesting that you call a phone number with an "809" area code. The most common versions of this scam are:

1. You receive a message on your voicemail or pager. The message could refer to an ill family member, some other emergency regarding a family member, or that you have won a prize, etc. You are told to call a number that has an "809" area code.

2. You receive a voicemail or email that says that it has been determined that you owe money on an overdue account and they threaten legal action. They request you to immediately call a number with an "809" area code.

The 809 area code is in the British Virgin Islands and can cost $25 per minute. The person answering these calls will try to keep the caller on the phone as long as possible to get the charges as high as possible. These are the equivalent of our 900 numbers, which are pay-per-call numbers. Unfortunately, the 809 area code is not subject to U.S. law.

Moral to the 809 scam story: Do not respond to requests to call any phone number that has an "809" area code.

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