Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!ames!killer!vector!nobody From: desnoyer@Apple.COM (Peter Desnoyers) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Fraudulent use of 900 #'s Message-ID: Date: 20 Jan 89 00:49:39 GMT Sender: chip@vector.UUCP Lines: 34 Approved: telecom-request@vector.uucp X-Submissions-To: telecom@bu-cs.bu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@vector.uucp X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 23, message 3 >In article <1121@naucse.UUCP> kwc@naucse.UUCP (Ken Collier) writes: >>It seems to me that the advent of 900 numbers has opened up a whole new >>category of fraudulent crimes.... >>...and it makes me wonder if the phone company is in the service >>of the business world rather than individual users. I guess whoever has the >>most money wins! > >Now exactly who do you think ends up paying for telephone fraud???? >The telephone company. When a teenager runs up $2,000 in 900# calls >and the parents complain, the phone company ends up footing the bill, Wait a minute. The phone company collects for 900# calls and splits the money with the 900 operator. If the bill is legally uncollectable (for instance in some cases when run up by a minor, or when the calls were solicited by illegal means) then the phone company does not LOSE any money, as it never had rights to it in the first case. If the 900 operator was already paid their split, the phone compyany is being dumb. >Well I used to work >in the Security Department and the toughest thing to do is collect money >from customers who aren't responsible for their card being stolen Are you really implying that a customer is fully responsible for all fraudulent use of their card in the event that it is stolen? I can see why it was difficult to collect, and I have no sympathy whatsoever for the difficulties you encountered. Peter Desnoyers [Moderator's Note: Under federal law, any person whose credit card(s) is stolen can be held responsible for the first $50 in charges or the amount incurred until the matter has been reported to the card issuer, whichever is less. Credit extended by a telephone company is not an exception. PT]