Posted on: Tuesday, March 11, 2003

Police warn Big Island of phone scam

Advertiser Staff

Police and prosecutors are warning Big Island residents of a telephone scam that could cost them hundreds of dollars in long-distance charges.

Police said the scam works this way: Victims receive calls by pager or voice mail informing them of a supposed emergency in the family, such as the death of a parent or an injured child.

The victims are then told to return the call to a number with a prefix of 809, which is similar to a toll 900 call. Police said the same telephone scam has been used with 284 and 876 prefixes.

Once the victims call, they are put on hold or get a long recording. When they receive their next telephone bills, they have been charged $25 per minute for a call to the Dominican Republic.

The cost of the average call has been estimated at more than $100, police said.