I received the following message yesterday from a cousin and thought it might be worthwhile to pass it along on this bb. I don't know about the dollar numbers she has quoted, but the rest of the message should send up a red flag to everyone.

MAJOR SCAM:
>
> Don't respond to Emails, phone calls, or web pages
> which tell you to call an "809" Phone Number. This is
> a very important issue of Scam Busters! because it
> alerts you to a scam that is spreading *extremely*
> quickly - can easily cost you $24100 or more, and is
> difficult to avoid unless you are aware of it. We'd
> like to thank Paul Bruemmer and Brian Stains for
> bringing this scam to our attention. This scam has
> also been identified by the National Fraud Information
> Center and is costing victims a lot of money. There
> are lots of different permutations of this scam, but
>
> HERE'S HOW IT WORKS:
>
> You will receive a message on your answering machine
> or your pager, which asks you to call a number
> beginning with area code 809. The reason you're asked
> to call varies. It can be to receive information
> about a family member who has been ill, to tell you
> someone has been arrested, died, to let you know you
> have won a wonderful prize, etc. In each case, you are
> told to call the 809 number right away. Since there
> are so many new area codes these days, people
> knowingly return these calls. If you call from the US,
> you will apparently be charged $2425 per-minute.
> Or, you'll get a long recorded message. The point is,
> they will try to keep you on the phone as long as
> possible to increase the charges. Unfortunately,
> when you get your phone bill, you'll often be charged
> more than $24100.00.
>
> WHY IT WORKS:
>
> The 809 area code is located in the British Virgin
> Islands (the Bahamas). The 809 area code can be used
> as a "pay-per-call" number, similar to 900 numbers in
> the US. Since 809 is not in the US, it is not covered
> by US regulations of 900 numbers, which require that you be notified and
> warned of charges and rates
> involved when you call a "pay-per-call" number. There is also no
requirement
> that the company provide a time period during which you may terminate the
> call without being charged. Further, whereas many US phones have900 number
> blocking to avoid these kinds of charges,
> 900 number blocking will not prevent calls to the 809
> area code. We recommend that no matter how you get the
> message, if you are asked to call a number with an 809
> area code that you don't recognize and/or investigate
> further and just disregard the message. Be wary of
> email or calls asking you to call an 809 area code
> number. It's important to prevent becoming a victim of this scam, since
> trying to fight the charges afterwards can become a real nightmare. That's
> because you did actually make the call. If you complain, both your local
> phone company and your long distance carrier
> will not want to get involved and will most likely
> tell you that they are simply providing the billing
> for the foreign company. You'll end up dealing with a
> foreign company that argues they have done nothing wrong. Please forward
this entire message to your friends, family and colleagues to help them become aware of this scam so they don't get ripped off.