Telephone Scams

The Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau has recently posted a consumer alert on what has become known as *fat finger dialing*.

Fat finger dialing is a new scheme that can result in consumers paying several times more than expected.  The scheme goes something like this: You place a collect call from a public phone or payphone, intending to use a
service like 1-800-CALL-ATT or 1-800-COLLECT.  But you misspell or hit an incorrect button when dialing.  You accidentally dial something like 1-800-CALLLAT.  You get connected to the party you wished to call, but the
phone company that connects you is not the one you thought you were using. Instead, it is a company that secured 800 numbers similar to well-known ones (i.e., a company secures the number *800-CALLLAT*).  The company is banking on the possibility that you might accidentally misdial your intended number. If this happens, you are probably unaware you are using a different phone carrier than the one you intended to use because you don*t know you
misdialed.  Often, the company won*t identify itself to you or the person receiving the collect call before connecting the call. See our consumer alert online at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/carelessdialing.html If you suspect you*re a victim of this scheme, contact the phone company In some cases, FCC rules may also protect you.  We have simplified our complaint procedures with a new Web page entitled Filing a Complaint with the FCC is EASY  at     http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaintfiling.html.

Other Links:

http://www.att.com/fraud/home.html

http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/information_directory.html