Beware of unfamiliar numbers asking you to call back
Read more: Local, Phone, Scam, At&T, Unfamiliar Numbers, Virgin Islands, Dominican Republic
Phone provider AT&T says the "please call us back'' scam isn't so prevalent anymore. But the company says you should be leery of returning calls from unfamiliar numbers.
/ Courtesy of AP GraphicsBank
You hear a lot about e-mail and phone scams these days.
We have another one to tell you about. KHQA was recently contacted by a viewer that had gotten an e-mail cautioning them against a phone scam that could set them back thousands of dollars.
KHQA's Chad Douglas got a hold of the e-mail, did some checking around and found the e-mail is practically a scam about a scam.
Information is passed on the internet so quickly, sometimes it's hard to know what's real and what's not.
Take this e-mail. It states someone got a call from an 809 area code saying, "Hey, this is Karen. Sorry I missed you, get back to us quickly. I have something important to tell you." Then she left a phone number with an 809 area code. After checking a list of area codes, we found 809 is for the Dominican Republic.
The e-mail also warns of area codes 284 and 876, for the British Virgin Islands and Jamaica. The e-mail said if you call these numbers back, you'll be charged more than $2,400 a minute.
Now this is where it gets interesting. We contacted AT&T, and they said this is an old scam that doesn't happen much anymore. AT&T also says the dollar amount you are charged is nowhere near $2,400 hundred a minute. Still AT&T offers these tips should you get a phone call like this:
*Return calls to familiar numbers only. You can find a list of area codes on the internet.
* Also, carefully read your telephone bill. Make sure you only receive charges from your provider of choice. If you feel you've gotten scammed, contact your phone company and the FCC.
