New 829 area code brings out scam artists
The introduction of a new area code in the Dominican Republic has sparked off a new wave of international telephone scams.
On August 1, the Dominican Republic gained a new area code, 829, in addition to its existing 809 area code. Implemented as an overlay, assignment of the new numbers is already in progress, and scam artists are taking full advantage of the new area code to sow confusion.
Area codes such as 809 appear at first glance to be local. However, this particular one is an area code for the Dominican Republic. There are others like it, some with scam artists waiting on the other end to separate unsuspecting people from their money.
It starts off with a simple unanswered phone call, the scammer making false promises such as that a family member is ill or has died, or that you’ve won the lottery. But the illigetimate scammers attach the area codes to numbers that are essentially “pay per call” numbers, like 900 numbers in the United States. If the victim calls back, the longer they stay on the more money the scammer makes from the call. — WAWS, Jacksonville, Fla.
This scam is not limited to the Dominican Republic. Most of the Caribbean islands are their own countries and have their own area codes. You may see calls from almost any of them. The scammers make money through deals with the country’s telephone authority where they get a percentage of the per-minute rate for each minute anyone from out of the country spends on the phone to that number.
Even though such calls are dialed like normal long distance calls, they are actually international calls, and can incur very high rates. Long distance carriers will seldom issue adjustments for calls to these countries. There are exceptions, however. Calls to Puerto Rico (area code 787), the U.S. Virgin Islands (area code 340) and Guam (area code 671), for instance, are considered domestic calls, rather than international, and you will be charged normal state-to-state rates.
To protect yourself from scams such as these, check the area code before you dial to find out where it’s located. Unless you are certain you want to place a call to that country, don’t dial it.
With so many new area codes going into effect these days, it’s hard for anyone to keep up. That’s part of the reason I have this site here: to provide you with the information you need about your phone and its service.
