There are several scams that deceive
consumers into calling international phone numbers. For most
international calls, U.S. consumers would have to dial "011" to begin a
call to a foreign country. It is helpful to know, however, that there
are locations outside the U.S. whose telephone numbers may look like
domestic long-distance numbers, but they are actually international
calls, for which international rates apply. For example, 809, 284, and
876 are area codes in the Caribbean. If you call these countries, you
are not placing a call to a person or entity located in the United
States. International calling schemes start with a consumer's
unfamiliarity with area codes and add a "pay-per-call" twist. Consumers
dial an area code or exchange that looks like a "standard" phone number
used here in the U.S., and, they unknowingly reach a "900-type" or
"pay-per-call" service in another country. That country may not
necessarily require businesses that use "pay-per-call" numbers to
disclose to consumers the fees they will be charged per minute when
placing the call. So the consumer ends up paying international rates
for the phone call, and "fee-for-service" costs based on the amount of
time spent on the phone before hanging up.
Scammers use a variety of schemes to trick U.S. consumers into
calling international numbers (that appear to be domestic) by sending
"urgent" messages to pagers, fax machines, e-mail addresses, or
answering machines. Recipients are asked to call back because:
- A relative has died, is desperately ill or injured.
- They have won a lottery or sweepstakes prize they must call to claim.
- A bill or credit card debt is past due and needs to be straightened out immediately to avoid collection actions.
- They are being offered solicitations for high-paying jobs and most call immediately to be considered.
When
a consumer falls prey and calls the number, the scam artist attempts to
keep the caller on the line for as long as possible to increase the
caller's long-distance calling charges and/or "pay-per-call" fees.
Consumers can receive telephone bills as high as $100 to $200.
To avoid falling for these types of schemes, the Better Business Bureau suggests the following:
- Know
where you are calling before you dial. Check your telephone directory
or call the operator to determine where the area code is before making
the call. You can also visit www.consumer.att.com to look up any area code or country code in the world.
- When you receive a desperate message from someone you do not know, simply disregard it.
- Also
be aware that it is usually necessary to dial 011 to reach an
international location. However, there are some locations outside the
U.S. such as the Caribbean and Canada, whose telephone numbers resemble
domestic long distance calls, but carry a higher international rate.
- A
block on calls to "900" services will not stop calls to "011" or "809"
or other international numbers. If you are certain you will not need to
make international calls, call your long-distance carrier and ask them
to put an international block on your telephone line.