08/05/99 - Various alerts are now circulating warning consumers not to comply with phone, pager or email requests to dial numbers beginning with the 809 area code to "settle an unpaid account" or "collect a wonderful prize," etc. According to these alerts, the area code is in the Caribbean and can be set up as a "pay-per-call" number (like 900 numbers in the U.S.). People who respond to these requests can get stuck with whopping phone bills for international call.
This information is basically true. The email warnings originated from an article published several years ago in "Internet ScamBusters," a respectable newsletter that keeps subscribers apprised of current frauds and scams. A more recent AT&T publication confirms that the scam is real and still active.
Multiple versions of the email exist because people can and do alter such texts before forwarding them on, which means any specific message you receive may or may not contain accurate details.