Is the 809 area code story true?

Answer 1

The 809 area code story is a classic urban legend: a small kernel of truth that has morphed into a wildly distorted horror story.

Area code +1 809 serves the Dominican Republic. It previously also served more than a dozen other Caribbean island nations and territories, including Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, Jamaica, etc., but it now serves onlythe Dominican Republic. The vast majority of numbers in area code 809 are legitimate business and residential numbers with no connection to fraud of any kind. The rates to call area code 809 from the United States are likely to be in the neighborhood of $1 per minute, or possibly much less, depending on your long-distance carrier and calling plan. Even paying the maximum "casual user" rates with no calling plan, the rate is unlikely to be significantly more than $1/minute; the stories of paying hundreds of dollars per minute are completely false. The stories of paying large surcharges over and above the cost of the long-distance call itself (like the surcharges that apply on 900 or 976 numbers) are also completely false.

The kernel of truth in the story is that there have been cases in which a scammer calls and leaves a voicemail or a number on your pager or cellphone, asking you to call back to a number in area code 809. The pretext is some urgent need, such as a medical emergency, a loved one in jail, or a threat of legal action over an unpaid debt. The scammer has arranged to get a percentage of the money paid by the long-distance company to complete the last leg of the call in the Dominican Republic. However, that revenue stream has diminished to pennies per minute, making the scam unprofitable.

Bottom line: be careful returning a telephone call to any number you don't know, especially in an unfamiliar area code. Be aware that, along with about 300 area codes in the United States and about 30 in Canada, there are about 20 that are in other countries. Although you dial them the same way as a domestic call, international toll charges will still apply (although nothing remotely close to $2,400 per minute). However, keep in mind that most numbers in area code 809 are legitimate homes and businesses.