Just got this form my wife.  And this ain't no joke!
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION PROVIDED TO US BY AT&T.

                  DO NOT 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 and
pass it on to all your friends and family so they don't get scammed!

MAJOR SCAM:

Don't respond to e-mails, 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
about a family member who has been ill, to tell you someone has been
arrested or 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 $24,100.00.

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 U.S.  Since 809 is not in the US, it is
not covered by U.S. 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, the 900 number blocking available in many U.S. homes to
avoid these kinds of charges does 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 e-mail 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.

     

809 Area Code Phone Scam
08/05/99: Email alerts circulating since [b]1996[/b] warn consumers not to comply with phone, pager or email requests to dial numbers beginning with the 809 area code to "settle an unpaid account" or "collect a wonderful prize," etc.  According to these alerts, that area code covers the Caribbean and can be set up as a "pay-per-call" number (like 900 numbers in the U.S.), with the result that people who respond to requests to dial the numbers can get stuck with whopping phone bills for international calls.

The information is basically true. The warnings originated as an article published years ago in Internet ScamBusters, a respectable newsletter that keeps subscribers apprised of current frauds and scams. A more recent AT&T publication confirms that the scam is real.

It's important to note, however, that because recipients can and do alter the texts of forwarded emails before passing them along, several different versions of this warning now exist. Any given specimen may or may not contain accurate details and may exaggerate the prevalence of the scam.

For these reasons, users are best advised not to forward these warnings on, but rather to share the URL of an updated article on the 809 scam from the original source:

[url]http://www.scambusters.org/809Scam.html[/url]

The 809 area code encompasses Bermuda, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Caribbean Islands (Dominican Republic).

How I know, I conduct business with some of these countries.  Calls are about 50 cents a minute.

Also 441, 340, 784 also encompass those areas.