• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Fraud Guides

Fraud Guides

Investment Schemes, Internet Scams & Consumer Fraud

  • Car Scams
  • Consumer Fraud
  • Internet Fraud
  • Investment Scams
  • Tax Scams
  • Telemarketing Scams
You are here: Home / Telemarketing Scams / 809 Area Code Scam

809 Area Code Scam

Don’t get tricked into making a very expensive international phone call to an 809 area code because these calls can cost up to $25 per minute!

This is an ingenious but cruel phone scam. It aims to frighten you so badly you make a call to an 809 area code right away without thinking. If you fall for it, your phone bill can be enormous!

How 809 Area Code Scams Work

You discover a message on your pager or answering machine, urgently requesting you call a number with an 809 area code. The message can vary, but it often involves important news regarding a family members. Either they’re sick, dead, or in jail.

Sometimes the message says you’ve won some sort of prize or sweepstakes. The one I’ve received several times asks me to call as I am the lucky recipient of an award that will be presented to me at the White House by the President of the United States, etc.

There is one thing the message makes quite clear: you must call the 809 phone number as soon as you can. And many people return the call without a second thought.

And why not?

Many people have free long distance and there are far too many area codes to keep track of. The 809 area code could be anywhere. So many people make the call and in doing so have fallen victim to the 809 area code scam.

People returning these calls report hearing incredibly long pre-recorded messages or someone doing whatever they can to keep them on the line. When you find out why all will become clear.

What the scam costs you

Phone calls originating in the USA made to the 809 area code are charged as much as $25.00 per-minute. That’s the reason they try to keep you on the line. The longer the call, the more profit for them.

Where is the 809 area code?

809 area code calls go to the Dominican Republic, which is in the Caribbean. 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 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, whereas many U.S. homes that have 900 number blocking to avoid these kinds of charges, it does not work in preventing calls to the 809 area code or any other.

Don’t respond to Emails, phone calls, or web pages which tell you to call an “809” Phone Number. That is the simplest strategy to guard against this fraud.

This scam is not limited to the 809 area either as there are more and more area codes being added in the Caribbean area all the time.

Subscribe
Login
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Primary Sidebar

  • Car Scams
    • Buying a Used Car
    • Car Airbag Scams
    • Car Dealership Scams
    • Car Insurance Accident Scams
    • Car Insurance Company Practices
    • Car Insurance Referral Scams
    • Car Leasing Scams
    • Car Prep Fee Scams
    • Car Repair Scams
    • Car Title Loans
    • Car Title Washing Scams
    • Car Warranty Scams
    • Curbstoning Scams
    • Finance A Car
    • Gas-Saving Scams and Tips
    • Odometer Rollback Scams
    • Parking Lot Scams
    • Risky Credit Rating Car Financing Scam
    • Spot Delivery Scam
    • Towing Scams
    • Water Damaged Cars
  • Consumer Fraud
    • Affinity Fraud
    • Airline Ticket Scams
    • ATM and Debit Card Fraud
    • Bankruptcy Fraud: The Ultimate Guide
    • Bird Flu Scams
    • Check Fraud
    • Consumer Credit Fraud
    • Contest Scams
    • Credit Card Fraud
    • Credit Card Skimming
    • Credit Card Validation Code Scam
    • Debt Elimination
    • Food Stamp and SNAP Fraud
    • Fraud Protection Tips
    • Gift Card Fraud
    • Home Business Scams
      • Assembly and Crafting
      • Envelope Stuffing
      • Medical Billing
      • Multi-Level Marketing
      • Reshipping
      • Turnkey Websites
    • Home Repair Scams
    • Hospice Medicare Fraud
    • Hospital Billing Errors
    • Hotel Scams
    • Identity Theft
    • Improving Credit Score
    • Inheritance Scams
    • Living Trusts
    • Locksmith Scams
    • Lottery Scams
    • Manufacturer Rebate Fraud
    • Medicaid Fraud
    • Medical Insurance Scams
    • Modeling Agency Scams
    • Mortgage Appraisal Fraud
    • Mortgage Foreclosure Rescue
    • Moving Company Scams
    • Mystery Shopper Scams
    • Online Banking
    • Optoutprescreen.com
    • Phony Charities
    • Product Counterfeiting
    • Real Estate Closing Fees Kickback
    • Rent to Own
    • Rental Scams
    • Scholarship Scams
    • Sweepstakes Scams
    • Travel Scams
    • Weight Loss Scams
    • Welfare Fraud
  • Internet Fraud
    • Advance Fee Scams
    • Adware
    • Auto Dialers
    • Counterfeit Money Orders
    • Craigslist Scams
      • Craigslist Apartment Rental Scams
      • Craigslist Car Scams
      • Craigslist Escrow Service Scams
      • Craigslist Ticket Scams
    • Detect Spoofed Emails
    • Ebay Scams
    • Fake Escrow Sites
    • Firewall
    • Internet Security
    • Lottery Scams
    • Nanny Scams
    • Nigerian Check Scams
    • Nigerian Email Scams
    • Online Auction Scams
    • Online Dating Scams
    • Phishing
    • Spyware
  • Investment Scams
    • Bank Fraud
    • Bulk Mail Ponzi Schemes
    • Business Opportunity Scams
    • Forex Currency Trading Scams
    • Gold Financing Agreement Scams
    • Investment Scams Targeting Seniors
    • Mining Investment Scams
    • Multilevel Marketing (MLM) Plans
    • Oil and Gas Investment Scams
    • PIPs PureInvestor Scam
    • Ponzi Schemes
    • Prime Bank Scams
    • Pump and Dump Schemes
    • Pyramid Schemes
    • Short and Distort Stock Scams
  • Tax Scams
    • Abusive Roth IRAs
    • Corporation Sole Statutes
    • Credit Counseling Tax Schemes
    • Dodging Your Taxes
    • Home Business Tax Schemes
    • Illegitimate Trusts
    • IRS Scams
    • IRS Audit Red Flags
    • Not Withholding
    • Offshore Tax Havens
    • Offshore Tax Shelters
    • Sharing Tax-Credit Dependents
    • Tax Fraud – Terminology
    • Tax Professional Preparer Scams
    • Tax Protesting
    • Tax Refund Anticipation Loans
    • Tax Return Fraud
  • Telemarketing Scams
    • 809 Area Code Scam
    • Boiler Room Schemes
    • Do Not Call Registry
    • Fax Scams
    • Federal Telemarketing Regulations
    • Government Grant Money Scams
    • Magazine Sales Scams
    • Office Supply Scams
    • Phone Phishing
    • Phony Charity Telemarketing
    • Recovery Room Scams
    • Rip and Tear Schemes
    • State Do-Not-Call Registry
    • Telephone Company Cramming Fees
    • Travel Scams
  • Lemon Laws
  • Report Fraud
  • Sitemap
  • Contact Us

Scam Alerts!

  • Bank Fraud: The Ultimate Guide

  • Bankruptcy Fraud: The Ultimate Guide

  • IRS Fraud and Scams: The Ultimate Guide

  • How to Avoid Paypal Scams and Protect your PayPal Account

  • Craigslist Ticket Scams

Copyright © 2021. Fraud Guides. All Rights Reserved.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Contact Us
wpDiscuz