[Glynn]

Subject: FW: Phone scam warning


 Not sure how true this is?

 Subject: FW: Phone scam warning
 Importance: High

 We have been  advised of a  telephone fraud currently in operation (this


 applies to home and/or   work telephones - land lines and  mobiles):




         If you do  receive  one of these calls, upon answering the
 telephone,
 you will hear  a recorded  message congratulating you on winning an all
 expenses trip  to an exotic  location. You will then be asked to press 9
 to> hear  further details. If you  press 9 you will be
 connected to a premium rate  line that costs approximately  £20 per
 minute.
 Even if you disconnect  immediately, it will remain connected for  a
 minimum
 of 5 minutes,  costing around £100. The final part of the call involves
 you
 being  asked to key your postcode and house number (which has other serious consequences). After a further 2 minutes
 you
 will receive a  message informing  you that you are not one of the lucky

 winners. The  total bill
 will be   £260.




         Since the calls  are  originating from outside the UK, BT and
 other
 telephone companies  are left  relatively powerless to act. The only
 safe
 solution is to HANG  UP before the  message prompts you to press 9; even

 safer is to HANG UP  on any unsolicited  'free offer' call. This appears to be a variation on  a theme, warnings have been
 sent
 previously regarding calls made by  individuals claiming to be engineers

 conducting a test on the line and  asking for 9, 0# and text messages
 similar to  the routine

 described  above. DO NOT DIAL 9 (OR 9,0# OR 0,9#) FOR ANYONE! BT has
 been
 contacted and confirmed the details as being  true.


         There is another   scam operating on Mobile Phones.

 A Missed Call comes  up. The number is  0709 020 3840. The last four
 numbers
 may vary but certainly  the first  numbers will remain the same. If you
 call
 this number back, you will  be  charged £50 per minute. People have
 complained about their phone bills,  once  they have
 realised the cost of the call but apparently this is  completely legal.
 So
 beware, do not call back numbers beginning with  0709.




         Please pass this  information on.

[littlejack]

This and similar scams have been around for a while.

Take care

[Jason Hedges]

Thanks Glynn,

Havent heard of these but will now be on my guard just incase. Could be a costly mistake!

Thanks mate,
Jason.

[Ian Gourlay]

I get this call virtually everyday I always hang up.

Jenny however is tempted to press 9 to see  if our luck has changed.

My printing paper has moved but will print this out when found.

[Mark Roberts]

Its sort of true but you cant be charged £20 a min.

According to the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services (ICSTIS).
Over the last few days ICSTIS has received hundreds of enquiries about the above 'scam', which is being widely publicised by e-mail. To help us put an end to the current spate of enquiries, please pass this information on to all contacts.

The apparent 'deception' takes place when people receive a recorded message informing them that they have won an all-expenses paid holiday and are asked to press 9 to hear further details. It is then claimed that callers are connected to a £20.00 per minute premium rate line that will still charge them for a minimum of five minutes even if they disconnect immediately. It is also claimed that, if callers stay connected, the entire message lasts for approximately 11 minutes, costing £220.00. Please note this is not true.

A £20.00 per minute premium rate tariff does not exist - the highest premium rate tariff available is £1.50 per minute. Despite the hundreds of enquiries received by ICSTIS about this 'scam' (and most have heard about it second or third-hand), not one person who claims that it has actually happened to them has been able to produce a phone bill to support their story.

ICSTIS urges any individual or organisation that receives an e-mail about this scam to delete it immediately. Please do not forward it on to others.

However, while there are no £50-a-minute scams out there to worry about, frauds that operate along the same line (but at far lower rates) do exist and do take in the unwary. The problem of mobile phone users receiving "missed call" notifications soliciting them to dial numbers for which they will be charged at rates higher than they might otherwise expect is on the rise. Those so duped get drawn into returning calls that promise they've won prizes and thence into staying on the line in pursuit of same while the meter runs.

Mark