an e-mail that i just received....

[AR182]

i received this e-mail this morning & don't know if it's true or not but i thought that i would pass it along....

90# on your telephone


I dialed ' 0 ' and asked the operator who did confirm that this was
correct so please pass it on.


PASS ON TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW


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 !!
The GTE Security Department requested that I share this
information with EVERYONE I KNOW.

After checking with Verizon they said it was true, so do not
dial 90# for anyone!!!!!

PLEASE HIT THAT FORWARD BUTTON AND PASS THIS
ON TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW

 

[JOSHNAUDI]

http://www.dcmsoft.com/rumor/story/90pound.htm

Before you pass this warning on to everyone you know, try this little experiment. Call a friend and ask him or her to press 9, 0, and #, and then hang up. Are you now able to make long distance calls at your hapless friend's expense?
No!! Here's what you'll hear: Three touchtones followed by the line going dead.

Unfortunately, this myth is based on some tiny shred of truth. On some large-scale phone systems ? the kind you would never have on your home phone line ? this can happen. But only if there are no restrictions on outside line usage.

According to AT&T, the 9-0-# scam ?is directed at businesses, hospitals, government agencies and other organizations that use telephone switching equipment called private branch exchanges (PBXs) to handle their calls.? They say it does not affect residential customers.

By pressing those keys and hanging up, the caller could hypothetically be transferred to an outside line, on which they could then make long-distance calls, charged to the owner of the PBX.

Although the scam is getting attention in the media and over the Internet, AT&T says their network fraud experts ?report no increase in the number of fraud cases as a result of this notoriety.?

?Steven Dahlman (05-May-01)

http://www.dcmsoft.com/rumor/story/90pound.htm

http://antivirus.about.com/od/emailhoaxes/p/90hoax.htm