Take Charge! - Smart Choices for Your Cox Digital Home

As your trusted provider of local and long distance telephone service, Cox wants to keep you informed of popular scams that take place over the telephone.

There are many scams that trick consumers into calling international numbers. You may see an ad for a service that directs you to call a particular number, or you may receive a message via email, your answering machine or pager instructing you to call a long-distance telephone number. Area codes 809, 284 and 876 may look like domestic long-distance calls, but may actually be calls where international rates apply. The scam artist attempts to keep the caller on the telephone for as long as possible to increase your long-distance charges.

To avoid falling prey to the scam, Cox recommends that you know where you are calling before dialing. The Internet (http://www.bennetyee.org/ucsd-pages/area.html) is a useful tool to look up area code and worldwide country codes. If you receive a message from someone you don't know, simply disregard it. Also be mindful that it is usually necessary to dial 011 to reach an international location. However, there are some locations outside the United States, such as the Caribbean and Canada, where telephone numbers resemble domestic long-distance calls, but carry a higher international rate.

Cox continues to provide the information and tools you need to Take Charge! of your home.