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Outrageous phone charges
Lowrider
Member Posts: 6,587
Two weeks ago, on a week-long motorcycle trip, I made a phone call from a motel room in Burns, Oregon to my home in Burlington, Washington. I used my AT&T phone credit card just like I've done many times in the past. Yesterday I got my phone bill and included in the list of charges was one for $42.14 for a 12 minute phone call from Burns, OR. Without my knowledge, the call was routed through a long distance system operated by an unscrupulous rip-off outfit calling themselves Opticom. This re-routing was done without any warning notice. I had no reason to believe this call was being handled any differently than the many calls I've made on my credit card in the past. Aren't situations like this - out of town, in a motel - the reason people carry a phone card?
I wrote an e-mail to Opticom and their partner in crime, a "billing clearinghouse" calling themselves ZPDI. I also copied the e-mail to the Oregon State Attorney General's office, Verizon and the FCC. I have no intention of paying this charge. Believe it or not, I rode my Harley to Burns, OR, a distance of over 500 miles, for less than half of what these shysters charged me for a 12 minute phone call. Fortunately my phone company, Verizon, included a disclaimer on the statement indicating that failure to pay these charges would NOT reflect on my good standing with their company. They've obviously received thousands, if not millions, of similar complaints over the years.
People these days talk about the corporate greed and dishonesty that seems to be ever more commonplace in America's business community. People wonder how our great nation ever got into this sorry state of affairs. So long as the consumer continues to put up with these kinds of blatent rip-off business practices things will only get worse. A hundred years ago a scam like this would've resulted in the business being burned and the businessman being tarred-and-feathered. It's not too late to return to those more effective types of consumer activism.
I researched Opticom on the internet and found a website loaded with similar complaints from folks all over the country. Somebody needs their * beat and I mean beat bad.
Anyone else have any telephone-related horror stories?
Lord Lowrider the LoquaciousMember:Secret Select Society of Suave Stylish Smoking Jackets She was only a fisherman's daughter,But when she saw my rod she reeled.
I wrote an e-mail to Opticom and their partner in crime, a "billing clearinghouse" calling themselves ZPDI. I also copied the e-mail to the Oregon State Attorney General's office, Verizon and the FCC. I have no intention of paying this charge. Believe it or not, I rode my Harley to Burns, OR, a distance of over 500 miles, for less than half of what these shysters charged me for a 12 minute phone call. Fortunately my phone company, Verizon, included a disclaimer on the statement indicating that failure to pay these charges would NOT reflect on my good standing with their company. They've obviously received thousands, if not millions, of similar complaints over the years.
People these days talk about the corporate greed and dishonesty that seems to be ever more commonplace in America's business community. People wonder how our great nation ever got into this sorry state of affairs. So long as the consumer continues to put up with these kinds of blatent rip-off business practices things will only get worse. A hundred years ago a scam like this would've resulted in the business being burned and the businessman being tarred-and-feathered. It's not too late to return to those more effective types of consumer activism.
I researched Opticom on the internet and found a website loaded with similar complaints from folks all over the country. Somebody needs their * beat and I mean beat bad.
Anyone else have any telephone-related horror stories?
Lord Lowrider the LoquaciousMember:Secret Select Society of Suave Stylish Smoking Jackets She was only a fisherman's daughter,But when she saw my rod she reeled.
Comments
My wife and I each have a cellular phone. There are no long distance charges, no matter where I call in the US.
My phone works nationwide, with no roam charges. I can sit in a hotel room in Florida and call friends in Texas, and as long as I don't exceed my allotted minutes, the call is free.
The monthly charges for both our phones is about what we used to pay in long distance. They essentially pay for themselves.
SIG pistol armorer/FFL Dealer/Full time Peace Officer, Moderator of General Discussion Board on Gunbroker. Visit www.gunbroker.com, the best gun auction site on the Net! Email davidnunn@texoma.net
Often the mind believes it is thinking, when it is only passing from one metaphor to the next.
Lord Lowrider the LoquaciousMember:Secret Select Society of Suave Stylish Smoking Jackets She was only a fisherman's daughter,But when she saw my rod she reeled.
ATF
That's OK. Stuff like this gives me a purpose in life. I'll raise hell everywhere I can think of to raise it, and I sure-as-hell won't pay the bill.
Lord Lowrider the LoquaciousMember:Secret Select Society of Suave Stylish Smoking Jackets She was only a fisherman's daughter,But when she saw my rod she reeled.
My wife called her best friend,in Costa Rica,
using a "prepaid phone card",that my best friend gave her.
A few weeks later I recieved a bill on my regular long distance phone company,which included a $242.00 call....to Costa Rica.
After calling all the companies involved,
and them bassin` the buck back and forth,and me gettin pissed offer`n hell......
I got to thinkin`,and checked the phone,
and discovered that the damned thing had
been, at sometime,accidently switched from touchtone to pulse.So when she followed the instuctions on the card,it just went through like a regular long distance call,for $242.00
.218
Go with the pre-paid cards, they are cheap and easy to use and I know you Harley guys have enough to worry about; what with all the extra oil, tools, and emergency spare parts you have to carry along while touring!
Mark T. Christian
TRIUMPH IN EVERYTHING WE DO.
This is Ms Beast, forogt to change the name!!
You may have seen this information before but if you haven't it's worth taking the time to read.
MAJOR SCAM
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION PROVIDED BY AT&T. DON'T EVER DIAL AREA CODE 809 This one is being distributed all over the US. This is pretty scary-especially given the way they try to get you to call. Be sure you read this & pass it on to all your friends and family so they don't get scammed!
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 $2400 or more, and is difficult to avoid unless you are aware of it. We'd like to thank Verizon for bringing this scam to our attention. This scam has also been identified by the National Fraud Information Center and is costing victims a lots of money. There are lots of different permutations of this scam.
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 a bout 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 unknowingly 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 (TheBahamas). 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 homes that have 900 number blocking to avoid these kinds of charges, do not work in preventing 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 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.
Sandi Van Handel
AT&T Field Service Manager
(920) 687-904
Additional information can be obtained from the
following AT&T Web Site
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.323 / Virus Database: 180 - Release Date: 2/8/02
=================================================================
Just because your paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you!kimberkid@gunbroker.zzn.com
? otherwise, you'll find an excuse.
Origins: Yes, this scam is real, but four important pieces of information to keep in mind are:
Not every phone number in the 809 area code is part of this scam, and calling such a number will not necessarily result in exorbitantly large charges on your phone bill. Most 809 numbers are ordinary, legitimate phone numbers.
This scam has been used with other area codes besides 809.
The amounts of money involved have been greatly exaggerated as this warning has circulated on the Internet over the past several years.
This scam is not very common; the average U.S. resident is unlikely to ever encounter it.
The scheme preys upon U.S. and Canadian residents unfamiliar with the complexities of the phone system (which is most of us). Most of us expect that when we place to a call a standard area code + exchange + phone number combination (e.g., 213-555-1212), we're calling a person or entity located in the U.S. or Canada -- connections outside of those countries requiring the caller to first enter a country code, then a number generally different in format from the standard we're used to. However, some foreign territories and countries (such as the Dominican Republic or the British Virgin Islands) have also been assigned area codes, and therefore their phone numbers look like the "standard" phone numbers we're used to. Scammers use a variety of schemes to dupe North Americans into calling these numbers by sending messages to pagers, fax machines, e-mail addresses, or answering machines, accompanied by notifications that the recipients need to call or fax them back because:
They have won sweepstakes or lottery prizes they must call to claim.
A family member is desperately ill or injured.
A bill or credit card debt is past due and needs to straightened out immediately to avoid collection action or an endangered credit rating.
They are being offered solicitations to become "mystery shoppers" who will be well compensated for a few hours work per day. (The "applicants" are kept on the phone through a lengthy sign-up procedure that never results in anyone's getting a job.)
They are being considered for employment and must transmit lengthy forms covering quotations on proposed jobs or information about their services and prices.
Once the victim places a call, he is connected to a fax machine, lengthy recorded message, or a pay-per-call service with a hefty up-front fee, all intended to keep him on the line as long as possible while the clock ticks and the charges mount. The scammer's foreign phone company then bills the victim via his local phone company, splitting the monies collected with the scammers and leaving the victim little or no recourse since the foreign phone company operates outside U.S. jurisidiction and is therefore not subject to U.S. laws (especially regulations requiring the operators of pay-per-call services notify callers in advance how much they will be charged for each call and offer them an opportunity to hang up without incurring any charges).
As mentioned above, the amounts of money involved in these scams have been greatly exaggerated, to the point that readers are now warned they may be charged more than $2,400 per minute if they fall for this scam! Actually, a victim might realistically be taken for $25 to $100, but not thousands of dollars. This scheme works a variety of Caribbean area codes, not just the 809 area code mentioned above (which now belongs exclusively to the Dominican Republic, the British Virgin Islands having switched to 284), but 809 seems to work especially well because many people associate it with toll-free 800 numbers and believe they will incur no charges for calling such a number. This scam took off when the government cracked down on domestic 900-number abuses several years ago, but it isn't especially common any more, and most consumer watchdog organizations report they receive far, far more calls from people concerned about the e-mailed warnings than from actual victims.
Alerts have been been posted at the site of the National Fraud Information Center alerting businessmen especially to "faxback" solicitations employing the "809" callback trick (such as one sprung on a newspaper that received a call from entities representing a purported hotel developer in the Dominican Republic asking for advertising rate quotes and claiming that "start-up pressures prevent us at this time from using the mails" to request rate cards).
The Better Business Bureau strongly recommends that no matter how consumers are approached, if they are asked to respond to an "809" area code call, they should investigate further or simply disregard the message. (There is, of course, nothing wrong with talking to people who live in this area code if you happen to know them. All cautions regarding the 809 code apply only to solicitations to contact folks unknown to you.) If you have to call an a number in an area code that's unfamiliar to you, you can use an Area Decoder to check it out first.
Barbara "(what a) sorry wrong number!" Mikkelson
Additional information:
AT&T's fraud information page
Last updated: 20 July 2001
ATF
Have had trouble with many hotel/motels that 'block' you from using credit calling cards thru room phones. You should report that to the company you use.
They will give you a special # to use, and/or you can call your phone company operator, tell them it's a blocked line, and they usually will connect you a special rate for the inconvience.
I also use AT&T cell phone. This is my third, and final year.
They have terrible phone support, and lost a Federal action law suit over misreprenting their coverage. Not the money side, but the areas they claim to have coverage.
They have cut their tech support, and haven't put up the towers they were going to.
Just got a new America's Terrible Telephone (ATT) $400 phone, and a "professional" ( so they call it) hands free kit $249 that's a joke.
Found out that ATT was shipping phones without updated soft ware installed. They knew it, and wait till a customer complains.By the time they went (supposed)thru their testing, it was past the 30 day return/new phone policy.
Understand there is in Congress a law that allows cell phone uses to KEEP their phone #, AND change phone companies.
Most majors are fighting it tooth,and nail complaining that they'll lose too many customers!!!
Go figure, they provide poor to marginal service, then complain when customers want to switch.
Happy Bullet Holes!
Best!!!
Rugster
Toujours Pret
Lord Lowrider the LoquaciousMember:Secret Select Society of Suave Stylish Smoking Jackets She was only a fisherman's daughter,But when she saw my rod she reeled.
ps to save yourself from accidental calls to Guinea Bissau, you can have an international call block put on your phone, your phone co will do it, I think it is free. Plus do like Rugster and get that 900 block. But neither of these may save you from that 809 area code scam, it sounds like it is not considered international.
Edited by - allen griggs on 09/30/2002 23:25:51
Edited by - allen griggs on 09/30/2002 23:28:10