Whenever any major manufacturer recalls faulty products (recent cases are the Toyota cars or the “Slumdog Millionaire” DVDs) toll-free numbers are set for customers to call and proceed with their claim.
Scammers never miss this opportunity to make a lot of money. What they do is set up phone numbers very similar to the manufacturers’ (such as 1-888 instead 1-800). Since a very large number of people are calling the manufacturer’s number, there will always be a few who dial it wrong and get the scammers’ number. They are then held in line for a long time, without realizing they are being charged a fortune by the minute.
How to avoid: always double-check a phone number before you call.