Slow telephone service inJanuary isn't limited to Southeast Missouri, say Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. representatives. It happens every January in many places, they said.

People get computers for Christmas, resulting in more people on the Internet, and people talk more now than they used to, they said.

Southwestern Bell blame those factors for telephone line congestion in the Jackson and Cape Girardeau areas.

The telephone company is receiving calls from people complaining that they have had to wait up to 10 minutes or longer for a dial tone.

"We're aware of the problem and are in the process of upgrading equipment," said Michelle Johnson of Southwestern Bell. "We're working to make sure people in the Jackson and Cape Girardeau area have the type of service they expect." she said.

"Right now we're rerouting calls to other circuits so the calls won't be jamming into the same space" said Johnson. "We think people will be realizing a difference very soon."

Telephone companies also have been getting calls concerning a scam involving the use of numbers 9, 0 and the pound sign.

About the time regulators and phone companies get a handle on one scam a new one pops up, said Ken McEldowney, executive director of the national non-profit Consumer Action group.

A Cape Girardeau business received a call recently from an individual identifying himself as an AT&T service technician who was conducting a test on the telephone line. The caller said that to complete the test the person should touch 9, then 0, then the pound sign, and hang up.

The person who received the call refused. He learned that pushing those numbers gives the caller full access to the line, enabling the caller to place long-distance calls from that number.

He learned that many of the calls were originating from jails and prisons.

"Telephone companies don't have to call you to check your telephone system," said Johnson. "They can do by remote. If someone does call, try to get a name and return number," she said. "That will usually result in a hang-up."

The scam is growing, said Johnson.

Many telephone companies, including Southwestern Bell, have teamed up with Consumer Action, which has a 16-page "You Can Fight Phone Fraud" guide. The guide is free by calling (800) 234-6440. It can also be seen on Consumer Action's Web site at www.consumer-action.org