I received a telephone call last evening from an individual identifying
himself as an AT&T Service Technician (could also be Telus) who was
conducting a test on the 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. DO NOT press 90# for ANYONE...
After checking with Verizon they also said it was true, so
do not dial 90# for anyone
At&t
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MacTheWolf (imported)
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Re: At&t
This one has been flying around for at least 10 years:
http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/w ... 021898.htm
"What the warning letter floating around the Net doesn't say is that this scam only works on telephones where you have to dial 9 to get an outside line."
More:
Analysis by Patrick Crispen: As shocking as this may sound, the "nine-zero-pound" story is true ... sort of.
What the warning letter floating around the Net doesn't say is that this scam only works on telephones where you have to dial 9 to get an outside line. Unless you have to dial 9 to get an outside line at home, this scam does not affect residential telephone users. Dialing "nine-zero-pound" on a residential phone will only give you a busy signal. That's it.
On some business phones, however, dialing "nine-zero-pound" may transfer a call to an outside operator and give the caller the opportunity to call anywhere in the world and charge it to your business' phone bill ... maybe. It all depends on how your business' telephone system is set up. If your company doesn't require you to dial 9 to get an outside line (for example, if you have a direct outside telephone line on your desk or if your company's phone system requires you to dial a number other than 9 to get an outside line) the "nine-zero-pound" scam does not affect you. Also, if your company's phone system is set up so that you cannot make a long distance call once you have accessed an outside line (a lot of companies now limit all outside lines to local calls only), the "nine-zero-pound" scam does not affect you either. The "nine-zero-pound" story only affects those businesses that require you to dial 9 to get an outside line and then place no restrictions on who or where you can call once you get that outside line. And, just to be anal-retentive, let me say one more time that, unless you have to dial 9 to get an outside line at home, this scam does not affect residential telephone users. .
— Patrick Crispen (Reprinted from The Internet TourBus (http://urbanlegends.about.com/gi/dynami ... urbus.com/), by permission)
Try also:
https://www.google.com/search?q=90%23+p ... =firefox-a
http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/w ... 021898.htm
"What the warning letter floating around the Net doesn't say is that this scam only works on telephones where you have to dial 9 to get an outside line."
More:
Analysis by Patrick Crispen: As shocking as this may sound, the "nine-zero-pound" story is true ... sort of.
What the warning letter floating around the Net doesn't say is that this scam only works on telephones where you have to dial 9 to get an outside line. Unless you have to dial 9 to get an outside line at home, this scam does not affect residential telephone users. Dialing "nine-zero-pound" on a residential phone will only give you a busy signal. That's it.
On some business phones, however, dialing "nine-zero-pound" may transfer a call to an outside operator and give the caller the opportunity to call anywhere in the world and charge it to your business' phone bill ... maybe. It all depends on how your business' telephone system is set up. If your company doesn't require you to dial 9 to get an outside line (for example, if you have a direct outside telephone line on your desk or if your company's phone system requires you to dial a number other than 9 to get an outside line) the "nine-zero-pound" scam does not affect you. Also, if your company's phone system is set up so that you cannot make a long distance call once you have accessed an outside line (a lot of companies now limit all outside lines to local calls only), the "nine-zero-pound" scam does not affect you either. The "nine-zero-pound" story only affects those businesses that require you to dial 9 to get an outside line and then place no restrictions on who or where you can call once you get that outside line. And, just to be anal-retentive, let me say one more time that, unless you have to dial 9 to get an outside line at home, this scam does not affect residential telephone users. .
— Patrick Crispen (Reprinted from The Internet TourBus (http://urbanlegends.about.com/gi/dynami ... urbus.com/), by permission)
Try also:
https://www.google.com/search?q=90%23+p ... =firefox-a
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janekane (imported)
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Posting Rank
Re: At&t
The only time I respond to a request to do something to test a telephone line is immediately after I have reported a telephone line problem, and the request is obviously the result of my request. Anyone asking me to respond to such a request needs to tell me of the trouble report identification number, and it has to match the number I already have.
In the olden days of dial telephones and dial locks, in an emergency situation, I could reliably dial a telephone number by using my ham radio operator Morse code skills to dial with the "hook" of the telephone. On desk sets, the "hook" consisted of the two buttons in which the handset, when "on hook" rested.
I never tried that in an emergency situation, however, out of mere curiosity, I did try it, very successfully, on my home phone as though its dial was locked, which it never was.
Touch tone telephone, failed touch-tone pad, an urgent need to place a "dialed" telephone call, and a suitable "hook"? Hook pulse dialing works for me; I have adequately maintained my "straight key" skills, it seems.
Some "tricks" are dishonest, some tricks are honest.
The trick is to figure out which is which.
Good job, MTW!
In the olden days of dial telephones and dial locks, in an emergency situation, I could reliably dial a telephone number by using my ham radio operator Morse code skills to dial with the "hook" of the telephone. On desk sets, the "hook" consisted of the two buttons in which the handset, when "on hook" rested.
I never tried that in an emergency situation, however, out of mere curiosity, I did try it, very successfully, on my home phone as though its dial was locked, which it never was.
Touch tone telephone, failed touch-tone pad, an urgent need to place a "dialed" telephone call, and a suitable "hook"? Hook pulse dialing works for me; I have adequately maintained my "straight key" skills, it seems.
Some "tricks" are dishonest, some tricks are honest.
The trick is to figure out which is which.
Good job, MTW!