Sedona AZ (September 2, 2013) – One of our great Neighborhood Watchers alerted me to an “old” scam that is beginning to make its way around again, writes Anthony Palermo, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office Community Relations Specialist, in a YCSO public information address.

Village of Oak Creek resident Abe Koniarsky and Sedona Eye real estate columnist, Sean Baguley, alerted the SedonaEye.com in separate emails asking that readers be informed as well. 

Follow these tips to help avoid being victimized by the Long Distance Area Code Phone Scam:

• This long distance phone scam causes consumers to inadvertently incur high charges on their phone bills:  You will usually receive a phone message or e-mail telling them to call a phone number with an 809, 284, 649, or 876 area code in order to collect a prize, find out information about a sick relative, etc.
• The caller assumes the number is a typical three-digit U.S. area code; however, the caller is actually connected to a phone number outside the United States, often in Canada or the Caribbean, and charged international call rates. Unfortunately, consumers don’t find out that they have been charged higher international call rates until they receive their bill. These charges can be in the $2000.00 range for 1 minute.
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  Don’t be a victim! Be aware and report scams to authorities.

  Return calls to familiar numbers only.  As a general rule, return calls from numbers that contain familiar or recognizable area codes. You may call your directory assistance or long distance operator to check the area code location, or look on line. Just type in your search page “area code (then the number)”!

• Carefully read your telephone bill. Make sure that you only receive charges from your provider of choice. Ensure you thoroughly understand charges listed on your phone bill, have chosen to do business with all of the listed providers billing for those charges, and have authorized additional fees invoiced.

•  Contact the carrier with whom the charge originated, whose name and toll-free telephone number should be printed on the same bill page as the charge in question. Often, the problem can be resolved with a single phone call.

•  If the carrier with whom the charge originated does not agree to resolve the problem, contact your local phone company who should work with you and the carrier to help remove fraudulent charges from the phone bill.

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