"Keeping Watch Over China's Business Risk and Insurance"
Vol. 2 , Special Issue 2 - Nov. 28, 2001
TOPIC FOR THIS SPECIAL ISSUE:
Preface:
- Limited travel to Western China
- BEWARE THE 809 AREA CODE PHONE SCAM IS BACK
And With Many More Area Codes - Details On the "Your Support is needed" Emails
- INS's " HOW DO I ˇ?"A Treasure of Information
Preface:
While we make every effort to be accurate in the information we transmit, such information is not considered to be a substitute for specific and qualified professional advice.
Our readers are advised to take care and to follow these steps:
- Maintain a high level of vigilance.
- Review your own personal security situations.
- Take precautions you deem appropriate to ensure your well-being.
We are informed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that foreigners are not permitted to travel in parts of Western Xinjiang Province. The Ministry has suspended travel to the area of Taxkorgan in Xinjiang. This restriction will remain in place until further notice. More information on travel in China can be found in the Consular information Sheet for China, available at the Department of State web site: http://travel.state.gov.
Reminder: Passport renewal for minors. Americans resident abroad are reminded that new regulations require both parents to be present and sign their children's new passport application or renewal application. If you have questions, please contact the American Citizen Services unit at the number or Email address listed below.
IRS Assistance: The US Embassy will begin stocking commonly used IRS forms soon. Persons resident in China who have special questions or need specialized forms, can access the IRS service center at http://www.irs.gov or call the IRS at 800-829-3676. Wardens can request a limited number of forms for people in their area by contacting the American Citizen Services unit at the numbers below.
As always, we invite Americans resident in China to provide us with their questions and comments by Email to: amcitbeijing@state.gov. Further information on consular services in China and the U.S. Embassy can be found at the Embassy's web site at www.usembassy-china.org.cn
And With Many More Area Codes
EyeWatchina's advice never dial a phone number beginning with area code 809. There is a scam being perpetuated all over the USA involving area code 809. It's pretty clever given the way that try to get you to call. Even if the offer sounds so good when you get it via a phone message, email, or web page don't be tempted for it could cost you US$ 24,000 or more in phone toll charges.
Verizon, one of the largest communication companies in America brought this scam to our attention. This scam has also been identified by the national Fraud Information Center and is costing victims a lot of money. There are lots of different variations of this scam bet generally runs along these lines:
You will receive a message on your answering machine or your pager, which asks you to call a number beginning with area code 809. The reason you're asked to call varies. It can be to receive information about a family member who has been ill, to tell you someone has been arrested or died, to let you know you have won a wonderful prize, etc. In each case, you are told to call the 809 numbers right away. Since there are so many new area codes these days, people unknowingly return these calls. If you call from the US you will apparently be charged $2,425 per minute. You'll get a long recorded message. The point being that they will try to keep you on the phone as long as possible to increase the charges. When you get your phone bill, you'll often be charged more that $24,100.
WHY IT WORKS: The 809 area code is located in the British Virgin Islands. The 809 area code can be used as a "pay-per-call" number, similar to 900 numbers in the US. Since 809 is not in the US, it is not covered by US regulations of 900 numbers, which require that you be notified and warned of charges and rates involved when you call a "pay-per-call" number. There is also no requirement that the company provide a time period during which you may terminate the call without being charged. Further, whereas many US phones have 900 number blocking, it will not prevent calls to the 809 area code. We recommend that no matter how you get the message, if you are asked to call a number with an 809 area code that you don't recognize, either investigate further (without calling the number) or just disregard the message. It's important to prevent becoming a victim of this scam, since trying to fight the charges afterwards can become a real nightmare ---because you did actually make the call.
If you complain, both your local phone company and your long distance carrier will not want to get involved and will most likely tell you that they are simply providing the billing for the foreign company. You'll end up dealing with a foreign company that argues that have done nothing wrong.
MORE TROUBLE DOWN THE LINE-Tings are about to get worse, cause that infamous offshore area code (809) is in the process of caking up into smaller chunks, and you'll soon have to think twice about calling any of the following area codes: 242, 246, 268, 284, 345, 441, 664, 758, 767, 784, 787, 868, 869, 876 as well as 809. Write them down and put these near your phone and check the list if you get suspicious requests to call any of these.
The International Tribune Reported on October 22nd that e-mails, "Your support is needed" which appears to be a donation request from the three largest fund-raisers for the September 11th terrorist relief effort are in fact a scam.
The American Red Cross, the United Way of New York City and the New Community Trust are not soliciting funds for the relief effort by way of e-mails, according to officials. As much as a fourth of the more than $1 billion which has been collected by bona fide organizations has been given online. There are many web sites seeking contributions for various groups of terrorism victims. Some are legitimate, others are not. Web sites such as give. Org list nonprofit groups that have been approved by the Internal Revenue Service.
The following is INS's introduction to the "HOW Do I ˇSECTION: We have created a series of documents we call How Do I ?'s . These documents cover a wide variety of topics and are meant to assist you in finding the information you need about a particular subject on our Website. Each How Do Iˇ.? Starts with background information on the chosen topic, and then helps answer your questions about INS procedures. Each How Do Iˇ?links you to information on the INS Website. These links go to the relevant sections of immigration law and federal regulations, to instructions on applying for immigration benefits, the correct form and fee, and so on. Please find the topics of your choice listed below in alphabetical order. We think you will find these very helpful.
What follows is an alphabetical list of categories starting with " Abused Spouse and Child" and ending with "Work Permit". Under each category are between one to six questions. Clicking on a particular question brings you to a hyperlinked answer. For example, clicking on "How Do I Get a Work Permit(Employment Authorization Document)?" leads you to a page with the following subheadings:
- What is an Employment Authorization Document?
- What Does the law say?
- Who is eligible?
- How do I Apply?
- How can I check the status of my application?
- How can I appeal?
- Can anyone help me?
- Frequently Asked Questions
Under each question is a detailed answer complete with references to the statute, regulations, appropriate INS forms, filing fees, place to submit your application, etc. Caveat: Before relying on the answers to each of the above questions, be sure to check the date that the page was last modified. In the above example, the page was last modified (look in the bottom left corner.) in June 27, 2001. A recent date helps to assure you of the accuracy of the information contained on the page although the INS warns that they "cannot guarantee that there would be no errors".
The "How Do Iˇ?section of the INS website contains over 200 questions and answers. It may not answer all of our questions, but it provides basic information on a wide variety of immigration topics. We link to the "How Do Iˇ?" section of the INS Web Site on our "INS Page" at: http://shusterman.com/ins.html
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Lehman, Lee & Xu, China Lawyers, Consultants, Patent, Copyright & Trademark Agents is China's largest, full-service private law firm with offices throughout the country. The firm, in cooperation with WaterStreet Asia, provides unparalleled insurance, China foreign investment, pharmaceutical and intellectual property legal services and advice.
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Focusing on a high level of service in English or Chinese, Destination provides travel options for individuals, companies and other organizations. We handle international corporate travel accounts as well as group tours throughout China.
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