[14980] in APO-L
Fwd: Pager Scam -Reply
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Richard Byrne)
Thu Sep 19 15:16:51 1996
Date: Thu, 19 Sep 1996 15:15:12 -0400
Reply-To: Richard Byrne <RBYRNE@OTIS.STATE.NJ.US>
From: Richard Byrne <RBYRNE@OTIS.STATE.NJ.US>
To: Multiple recipients of list APO-L <APO-L@VM.CC.PURDUE.EDU>
Area code 809 is for "Bermuda, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and other
Caribbean Islands" and is not an area code for "Information Providers".
Information Providers use 700, 900, and even 800 (or 888) numbers
(some 800 or 888 numbers ARE NOT toll free under current regulations
thanks to the telecommunications "reform?" act).
Services must clearly state during the first minute of the call what the
charges will be and provide you with the opportunity to hang up
without being charged. You can dispute the charges for calls to any
service that does not comply with the regulations.
Local telephone companies can also provide access to information
providers with numbers such as 976-JOKE.
It should be noted that most calls to 809 numbers are billed at
international long distance rates.
The bottom line is that a number in the 809 area code is not like a 900
number, and is not necesarily a scam.
Richard Byrne
