Scam alert - you may or may not have seen this?

[Psl]

SCAM ALERT – A VERY COSTLY NEW AREA CODE: READ AND SHARE WITH YOUR NETWORKS
SCAM ALERT

A VERY COSTLY NEW AREA CODE: READ AND SHARE WITH YOUR NETWORKS

Officers at West Yorkshire Trading Standards (WYTS) have been made aware of a premium rate phone number scam tricking victims in to dialling the 0809 area code at extortionate rates.

“We actually received a call last week from the 0809 area code. The woman said ‘Hey, this is Karen. Sorry I missed you- get back to us quickly. I have something important to tell you.’ Then she repeated a phone number beginning with 0809. We did not respond. Then this week, we received the following e-mail: Do Not DIAL AREA CODE 0809,0284, AND 0876 from the UK . U.S. Australia or Canada…”

Read the rest of the article here:
http://wytradingstandards.wordpress...-area-code-read-and-share-with-your-networks/

 

[cjd]

I'm afraid this is a scam of a scam - ie it's nonsense. Looks like wytradingstandards have been caught.

http://www.snopes.com/fraud/telephone/809.asp

Not only that but the 0809, 0284, 0876 numbers are US ( or more correctly US-like) area codes 809, 284 and 876 so you can't dial them in the UK anyway.

0284 is actually part of a real UK area code 0284xx, 028406 is Bambridge for example.

 

[Psl]

I'm afraid this is a scam of a scam - ie it's nonsense. Looks like wytradingstandards have been caught.

http://www.snopes.com/fraud/telephone/809.asp

Not only that but the 0809, 0284, 0876 numbers are US ( or more correctly US-like) area codes 809, 284 and 876 so you can't dial them in the UK anyway.

0284 is actually part of a real UK area code 0284xx, 028406 is Bambridge for example.

That clears it up then. So the website link that I posted is a scam as well then? Actually when I look at it no trading standards would use wordpress blog!! Note to self - pay more attention to things you read online.

 

[Excel Expert]

There has been a very similar thing going around Facebook this week regarding a UK premium rate line rather than a US one. It claims that it will cost £1,500 for the average call.

If I'm right, premium rate calls are limited in cost to less than a couple of quid a minute and automatically disconnect after X minutes, so in the UK it is impossible to make a call costing £1,500

 

[lynxus]

There has been a very similar thing going around Facebook this week regarding a UK premium rate line rather than a US one. It claims that it will cost £1,500 for the average call.

If I'm right, premium rate calls are limited in cost to less than a couple of quid a minute and automatically disconnect after X minutes, so in the UK it is impossible to make a call costing £1,500

Plus they would find themselves needing to get the cash from my cold dead hands. Id simply flat out refuse to pay that kind of BS when its clearly a scam.

 

[Excel Expert]

I wouldn't class it as a scam as no one is getting ripped off. No one actually gets charged these amounts. Its just a complete and utter and urban myth designed to scare/worry people.