Stop junk e-mail and misinformation.

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One Ringy-Dingy...

Date Added: Sept. 4, 2001
Last Updated: Dec. 13, 2002

One of the most powerful aspects of e-mail is that you can spread word of something to a variety of people easily and efficiently. Unfortunately, that means many people who don't need to receive a message, often do.

PLEASE BE AWARE & TAKE PRECAUTIONS.........

I received a telephone call last evening from an individual identifying himself as an AT&T Service technician who was conducting a test on telephone lines. He stated that to complete the test I should touch nine(9),zero(0), the pound sign (#), and then hang up. Luckily, I was suspicious and refused. Upon contacting the telephone company, I was informed that by pushing 90#, you give the requesting individual full access to your telephone line, which enables them to place long distance calls billed to your home phone number. I was further informed that this scam has been originating from many local jails/prisons.

I have also verified this information with UCB Telecom, Pacific Bell, MCI, Bell Atlantic and GTE. Please beware. DO NOT press 90# for ANYONE. The GTE Security Department requested that I share this information with EVERYONE I KNOW. PLEASE pass this on to everyone YOU know. If you have mailing lists and/or newsletters from organizations you are connected with, I encourage you to pass on this information to them, too.

After checking with Verizon they said it was true so do not dial (9),zero(0),the pound sign # and hang up for anyone.

The scam is real and has been operating for several years. However, the e-mail warning about it is misdirected and contains quite a bit of misinformation. Here are a few things about this scam not mentioned in the chain letter above that are definitely worth noting:

It doesn't affect residential customers; it is targeted at businesses who use telephone switching equipment, called private branch exchanges (PBXs), to handle their calls (i.e., you have to dial "9" to get an outside line).
An AT&T service technician would never call customers and ask them to help check phone lines by dialing anything.
If someone receives such a call, he or she should ask the "technician" for a call-back number or for the name and number of the caller's supervisor. Then hang up.
The author mentions contacting several different phone companies, but does not appear to have contacted AT&T (whose identity the scammers are supposedly co-opting). A curious tactic, and the probable cause for the misinformation.

The scam is generating a lot of interest in the media and over the Internet, but AT&T's network fraud experts report no increase in the number of fraud cases as a result of this notoriety.

The best prevention against this type of fraud is for business managers to make their office staffs aware of it and to review what to do if it happens. To report this or any other phone scams AT&T business customers should call their account representatives. You also can call the AT&T Business Customer Care Center at 1-800-222-0400, or report the scam to your local law enforcement agency. Non-AT&T customers should contact their phone service provider. Break this Chain.

References: None

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