Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers tells consumers to be wary and check their phone bills to protect themselves from unauthorized, international-long distance charges.

«Chances are the consumer or someone in his or her family was misledvia voicemail or pagerinto calling a number with an international pay-per-call area code such as 809. These area codes are connected to fees that are calculated per minute, and can often result in exorbitant bills,» Myers said.

In some cases, consumers have been billed thousands of dollars in fraudulent charges.

Most consumers have had experience with calling 900 numbers connected to fees. But other pay-per-call area codes include 242, 246, 264, 268, 284, 345, 441, 473, 664, 758, 767, 784, 787, 809, 868, 869, and 876.

The approach used to trick consumers into dialing the international numbers vary, including bogus tales about a family member who has been arrested or died. Promising information about a prize is another pitch to entice consumers to make pricey phone calls.

Customers are finding little sympathy from local phone companies and long-distance carriers, who say they are only providing a billing service for the foreign company, according to Myers’ office.

Oregon consumers may file complaints concerning unauthorized long distance telephone charges by calling the Attorney General’s consumer hot line at (503) 378–4320.

DES MOINES, Iowa The Iowa Supreme Court is backing state regulators who want to assure that local telephone exchanges have access to long distance service.

In today’s ruling, the high court says the Iowa Utilities Board has broad authority to regulate the rates and services of public utilities.

The case involves a dispute between A-T-and-T, which provides long distance, and several local telephone companies, which charge A-T-and-T for access. The charges vary, and A-T-and-T resisted paying the higher ones.

State regulators intervened and ruled that charges already assessed to A-T-and-T must be paid, but created a new rate structure to reduce the disparity.

Utilities Board spokesman David Lynch says the board is reviewing the ruling.