A number of people in recent months have been victimized by a new scam that makes you think you are calling a toll free number, but ends up being an international call that charges you costly fees, which are pocketed by the the scammer.

The scam deals with calls made to the 876 area code. Since toll free numbers now also begin with the prefix of 877 and 866, many people are led to believe that the number is also toll free, without realizing that the call actually dials into Jamaica. Furthermore, since there is no international code in front of the number, no one knows they’re calling outside of the country.

One woman in Florida explained that she received a suspicious call telling her that she was a recipient of 5 million dollars and a Mercedes-Benz, but needed to wire funds to Washington state before she could receive her prize. While she knew the information was shady, she wasn’t aware that when she returned the call to see what company was making such claims, she was dialing an international number and was thus charged fees because of it. Therefore, the scammers took her money either way.

Another individual divulged that they had received a voicemail from someone claiming to be from FedEx, who asked for a return call regarding a certified package that was waiting to be claimed. The person also assumed that 876 was a toll free number, but found out later that the call was a horrible hoax.

800, 888, 877, 866 and 855 are the only toll free numbers in existence. Don’t let someone fool you into calling similar-sounding numbers just pocket your money. This is money laundering and is against the law. Report anything suspicious to the FCC.

For more information about toll free numbers and how to obtain a legitimate, low-cost number your your business or non-profit organization, visit https://www.voicemailoffice.com