Is the AT&T NPA Scam really real?

[trevelyn]

http://www.att.net/s/editorial.dll?fromspage=design/CDLS10/ch/smct/articleContent.html&categoryid=&bfromind=19022&eeid=7626620&_sitecat=2009&dcatid=0&eetype=article&render=y&ac=0&ck=&ch=smartcontrol&cat=smct&topic=is

What the hell?

[trevelyn]

whoops, I forgot the good part, the part we can really have a laugh about:

If you call from the U.S. or Canada , you will apparently be charged a
minimum of
*$2425 per-minute.*

L0L!

[nyphonejacks]

i doubt that the charges are $2425 per minute...
but 809 is an area code in the dominic republic http://nanpa.com/nas/public/npa_query_step2.do;nanpaid=Tr13NrQPv53xZ238pFLdh6ZV1n8MBpTwLtP3BBXTTmRvyRh8LBVL!-1044550880?method=displayNpa

if you check the AT&T website at http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/international/long-distance/in-the-us.jsp the international rates for the dominic republic are 18 cents per minute to land line and 27 cents per minute to a cell phone if you pay the $3.00 per month fee... or $1.49 and $1.58 if you do not have an international plan...

the only way that i could understand that any additional charges would be incurred was if the DR used some type of local number such as the 976 exchange for premium rate calls... which would be third party billed on the phone bill - so they would likely be very easy to dispute those third party charges, especially since AT&T is aware of such "scams" since they posted about it on their own website..

the only reason why someone in the US might fall for this "scam" is because the number might appear to be a toll free number, many people are misinformed that any 8xx area code is a toll free area code...

snopes has some info on this scam here http://www.snopes.com/fraud/telephone/809.asp which links to ATT's website, as well as to this link on the FBIs website http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/809.html