Scammers on Craigslist are ordering tough-to-identify pay-per-call phone numbers, then list them on ads, baiting people to call and pay exorbitant fees. Common area codes for pay lines are 976, 940, 915, 556, 554, and 550.

Reader Ho Ko spotted the chicanery:

Ordinary looking phone numbers, like (908-554-2787) that are pay-per-call, often for $10 a call. The latest scam is to call people with Craigslist ads, asking them to call back at one of these numbers. The caller is charged $10 to leave a message on an answering machine.

Ho Ko pointed out that Verizon’s customer service site has a listing of numbers to watch out for, and Fat Wallet has a thread about the scam.

(Photo: nadbasher)

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