Telephone Scam

[la4angus]

If anyone calls you posing as an AT&T Service Technician or local telephone company repairman, etc. and requests that you touch nine (9), zero (0), and the pound sign (#) and then hang up, DON'T DO IT! Hang up. This will give the scammer full access to your telephone line for long distance calling charges. The scam has originated in prisons and jails, allowing inmates to make calls billed to your phone.

I received this information through a community watch progeram sponsored by our local Sheriff's Dep't and homeowners' association, and it is reported to have been confirmed throughGTE, Verizon, MCI and other companies.

 

[dun]

This crops up every few months it seems. But it's a good reminder to see it posted again occasionally. The State Atty Genrl says to call and report it to them.

dun

 

[la4angus]

This crops up every few months it seems. But it's a good reminder to see it posted again occasionally. The State Atty Genrl says to call and report it to them.

dun

This is the first time that I had seen this and am sure the first time many others have seen it, no matter how many times in the past it has cropped up.

 

[TheBullLady]

Luckily, we don't have AT & T service.. or long distance on the home phone. We do all of our long distance calling from cell phones.

Speaking of which.. I wonder how long before we start getting solicitation calls on cell phones??? I hate the thought of that.. it's soooo nice without them!!

 

[jgn]

I already get those calls to my cell phone, most all of these are from the cell carrier trying to promote specials.

 

[ChrisB]

Checked it out on snopes.com. It is technically possible, but only if you are a business or organization where you need to dial '9' to get an outside line. It says the warning in overblown and has virtually no chance of working against a residential or cell phone customer.