773-847-8170

Repeated calls (as many as 7) in a row.  A Spanish message starts and quickly switches over to English.  A dispatcher comes on line and states that two family members have been involved in an accident. He then instucted me to call his sergant directly at 11-721-1-708-323-9860 to get the more details.  Weird thing - he was more concerned with me getting the number right, then facts about the call. Hhe refused to answer any questions.  Very, very strange knowing that I do not have any family in the state.  DO NOT CALL THE NUMBER!

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan issued an alert Friday to warn people to hang up the telephone if they get an unexpected collect call from a person in prison or in jail.


According to Madigan, prisoners at local and state facilities have reportedly perpetrated a telephone scam that causes excessive telephone charges to be passed on to the unsuspecting person accepting the collect call.


"This is the latest in a number of scams we have seen that use the telephone as a tool for fraudulent activity," Madigan said. "In this case and others, I urge consumers to hang up the phone immediately if they receive an unexpected telephone call and the caller asks them to accept a suspicious collect call, dial a series of unfamiliar numbers or disclose personal or financial information."


The attorney general advised that the transferred charges scam can only be activated if the collect call is accepted.


Once the person who answers accepts the collect call, the prisoner or other caller asks that a series of numbers be dialed which then allows the transfer of future charges to the consumer's telephone.


Madigan said the consumers are often unaware that a scam has been perpetrated until they get their next telephone bill.


For more consumer protection information, visit Madigan's Web site at www.IllinoisAttorneyGeneral.gov or call the Consumer Fraud Hotlines in Carbondale at 1-800-243-0607 or in Springfield at 1-800-243-0618. A Spanish language hot line is available at 1-866-310-8398.




©Edwardsville Intelligencer 2008

Fraud Center: Jailhouse Jingles Scam Alert
From About.com
Long Distance Phone Scam
The Scam:
You could unwittingly become part of an expensive long distance phone scam known as "Jailhouse Jingles" if you dial *72, 72#, or 90# at the request of someone who calls you pretending to be a phone worker, police officer, emergency room personnel, or who appeals to your sympathy because they're having trouble reaching someone.

How This Scam Works:

These number sequences activate call forwarding, transferring control of your phone to the person on the other end, and allowing the scam artist to continue to make long distance phone calls on your account after you hang up. Since all calls from jails and prisons are collect, the charges that appear on your next phone bill could total hundreds of dollars or more.

This scam is often called Jailhouse Jingles because the calls are usually made by prison inmates in lower-security facilities with access to pay phones.

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The inmate first calls an outside accomplice, who then initiates a three-way call to you, thereby preventing you from hearing the recording that precedes calls from correctional facilities, stating that the call is coming from a convict at a particular prison.
How This Scam Costs You Money:

When you receive your phone bill, it may contain charges for 900 "sex line" numbers or other calls at nearly $1 per minute.

How To Avoid Being a Victim of This Scam: It's easy to avoid being a victim of this scam. Never dial *72 or any other call-forwarding number at the request of a stranger. If for some reason you do dial the call-forwarding sequence, deactivate it by dialing *73 (on Verizon accounts).

How To Report This Scam:

Help fight telephone fraud. Report telephone scam artists to the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) and to your state Attorney General.