Fifteen-year-old Whitney Lott thought she was "helping someone out" when she agreed to forward a call for a stranger on the phone. The stranger, according to a CBS News report, turned out to be an inmate from Dallas County Jail. He told the girl that he had called her accidentally and, since he only got one phone call, asked if she could forward the call to his mother -- by dialing *72.
The innocent move ended up costing Lott's parents $160, but it could have cost them hundreds, or even thousands, more.
Pressing *72 or 72# activates a call forwarding feature on phones. Every call made to your number from then on will be forwarded to a pay phone or other involved third party. However, you are responsible for the charges incurred because the calls are being forwarded from your number.
This scam has been going on around the country and involves not only inmates but also everyday con artists. According to the CBS News report, "The problem is rampant. In Florida, at least two inmates racked up more than $50,000 worth of collect calls to more than a hundred families."
How the *72 Scam Works
As described by AT&T, the *72 scam works like this:
"Star-7-2 is a custom feature for call forwarding. When the customer dials *72 followed by a telephone number, it activates the call forwarding feature causing all your incoming calls to ring at another number.
At the end of the other line -- whether calls have been forwarded to a landline, a cell phone or a payphone -- the original caller's partner-in-crime is able to accept all collect and third-party calls, while telling your own legitimate callers that they have the wrong number. You get billed for all calls made because your number is the one from which they are forwarded."
Scammers use the following scenarios most often as they try to play to the sympathies of their victim:
This article was provided by the world's #1 most popular and trusted holistic living e-newsletter -- FREE to you right now at http://www.SixWise.com! The old way of thinking: "holistic living" pertains only to personal health. The new way of thinking: "holistic living" means prevention of the negative and adherence to the positive in all SIX practical areas of life: relationships, finances, career, home environment, safety and health. With the SixWise.com e-newsletter, you will get holistic wisdom from the world's top experts in all six of these areas -- completely FREE with a simple sign-up (and a guaranteed no-spam policy!) at http://www.SixWise.com.