[comp.dcom.telecom] Washington DC Payphone Scam

pat@hfsi.UUCP (Pat) (03/14/89)

How does this sound as a phone scam?
I was in Washington DC and went to make a local call on what first appeared
to be a public phone, it really was from Atlantic Telephone. I shoved in
20 cents dialed the number and got a message please deposit $1.00 to complete
the call. I dialed 0, got the Atlantic operator was told the same story,
was not allowed to talk to a supervisor and hung up on.  I walked into
a restaurant used the C&P phone and made my 20 cent call.  I was wondering
can these companies just set their own rates on local direct dial calls??

BTW  C&P has their own scam, local calls in Washington are 20 cents,
MD and VA 25 cents.  They don't mark any of the DC phones for rates to
fool people into depositing 25 cents.