We provide this free financial resource to visitors of the Community Room of SeniorSSuperStoreS in an effort to keep baby boomers, seniors and the elderly informed of matters that can affect their lifestyle.

(Courtesy of www.scambusters.org.

As we have covered in other articles in our Community Room, you probably know that dialing numbers with an 809 area code can lead to astronomical phone bills. Well, in San Diego, a scammer is now using the same "809" scheme to prey on grieving owners of lost pets.

The scammer looks for lost pet announcements (in newspapers or signs on utility poles), then calls to say that a Mexican worker took your pet back to Tijuana.

When you call the Tijuana phone number, the scammer's associates string you along with broken English and misunderstandings, until you've racked up hundreds of dollars on the phone bill -- with no pet in sight.

For more on the 809 scam, go to www.scambusters.org/809Scam.

Very useful tip: If you're not sure where a telephone number is located, use this free Area Code Decoder.