[Oe List ...] FW: Don't press #90 or #09 on mobile

[Geri Tolman]

Thanks for taking the time to educate us on this, Jim.  I only wish your
last line:

"I STRONGLY RECOMMEND NO LONGER CIRCULATING THIS EMAIL!"
 
had been first, as I almost missed it!
 
Geri Tolman


  _____  

From: oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net [mailto:oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net] On Behalf
Of Jim Baumbach
Sent: Monday, September 26, 2011 10:33 AM
To: Order Ecumenical Community
Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] FW: Don't press #90 or #09 on mobile


Here is what Snopes reports on a link to a website called the "wayback
machine:
(http://web.archive.org/web/20020223071837/http://www.att.com/features/0398/
90pound.html) about this particular phone scam.

"The 9-0-# scam has been around for years and is directed at businesses,
hospitals, government agencies and other organizations that use telephone
switching equipment called private branch exchanges (PBXs) to handle their
calls. 

This type of fraud involves a perpetrator who calls an office and cons an
unsuspecting worker into transferring him or her to an outside line. The
perpetrator then starts dialing calls that are charged to the owner of the
PBX. In this latest version, the caller claims to be an AT&T service
technician "repairing" the phone lines and convinces the recipient of the
call to help out by transferring him to an outside line and then hanging up.
(According to Snopes, most offices now use a Centrex phone system which is
not affected by this scam.)


Below are some points about this scam worth remembering: 



*	This scam doesn't affect residential customers; its target is
businesses. 


	

*	An AT&T service technician would never call customers and ask them
to help check phone lines. 


	

*	The scam is generating a lot of interest in the media and over the
Internet, but our network fraud experts report no increase in the number of
fraud cases as a result of this notoriety. 


	

*	The best prevention against this type of fraud is for business
managers to make their office staffs aware of it and to review what to do if
it happens. 


	

*	If someone receives such a call, he or she should ask the
"technician" for a call-back number or for the name and number of the
caller's supervisor. Then hang up. 


	

*	To report this or any other phone scams AT&T business customers
should call their account representatives. You also can call the AT&T
Business Customer Care Center at 1-800-222-0400, or report the scam to your
local law enforcement agency." 

What is extremely worrisome about the circulation of this particular email
is the Islamophobic attitude being expressed here.  By definition:
Islamophobia is "a hatred or fear of Islam or Muslims, esp. when feared as a
political force."  Since none of the previous scams mentioned Jehadi Muslim
Terrorists it would appear to be a hate message against Muslims.


I STRONGLY RECOMMEND NO LONGER CIRCULATING THIS EMAIL!  




On 9/26/2011 8:37 AM, amnoel wrote: 

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://wedgeblade.net/pipermail/oe_wedgeblade.net/attachments/20110926/b130c78e/attachment.html>