The scammers are the "last stop" telco carriers. They charge high, Cuban rates to connect someone who thinks they are calling Cuba to a cheap/free recording. They arbitrage the cost of playing a recording (0) against the cost of actually connecting the customer to a party in Cuba (non 0).
These rates are passed up the carrier chain until they reach the caller's main carrier. If international calls are covered in the caller's contract, the carrier picks up the tab. If not, the caller is charged int'l rates for simply listening to a recording.
There should be some way for the main carriers to identify and block these shady "last stop" telcos but it seems as if they have no incentive to as they are probably cheaper to partner with than reputable carriers, and the customer ultimately pays the fee in one form or another.
Comments
The scammers are the "last stop" telco carriers. They charge high, Cuban rates to connect someone who thinks they are calling Cuba to a cheap/free recording. They arbitrage the cost of playing a recording (0) against the cost of actually connecting the customer to a party in Cuba (non 0).
These rates are passed up the carrier chain until they reach the caller's main carrier. If international calls are covered in the caller's contract, the carrier picks up the tab. If not, the caller is charged int'l rates for simply listening to a recording.
There should be some way for the main carriers to identify and block these shady "last stop" telcos but it seems as if they have no incentive to as they are probably cheaper to partner with than reputable carriers, and the customer ultimately pays the fee in one form or another.