Beware of this scam to charge telephone calls to your account.
Here’s how it works:
You get a call from someone posing as a telephone technician, line checker, 911 operator (or something similar) “testing” your phone line. Depending on your service, they’ll ask you to dial *72, 72#, or 90# and then a phone number. What this does is activate your call forwarding function. Then the scammers make long distance calls from that number and you get the bill.
This scam works on cell phones and land lines. Since you have given your phone number to the cheats by call forwarding, they will continue to run up the bill until you deactivate the call forwarding function, usually by dialing *73.
So, watch out. Don’t get stung.
Source: AARP Bulletin, June 2008
Technorati Tags: scam, call forwarding, psa
