STOCKHOLM, March 18 /PRNewswire/ -- The average overseas Filipino has been cheated out of hundreds of dollars by calling cards that don't deliver the minutes promised, according to new research by Rebtel, the Internet phone company used by more than 4 million people every day for their international calls.

Overseas Filipinos said they were cheated out of $500 on average by fraudulent calling cards, and many said they had been ripped off for up to $3,500 or more, according to Rebtel's survey of more than 1,000 customers who regularly use Rebtel to call the Philippines.

As of December 2008 there were more than 7.5 million Filipinos working abroad, the most recent figures available from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration. Wikipedia puts the numbers between 8.7 million to 11 million overseas Filipinos worldwide, equivalent to about 11 percent of the total population of the Philippines.

Sick and tired of calling card fraud, overseas Filipinos said they switched to Internet-based calling services like Rebtel, that starting today lets them call home for just 0.109 USD/min to landlines, 0.129 USD/min to mobiles.

Of the Rebtel customers who previously used calling cards to stay in touch with calling family and friends at home, 61 percent said calling cards were not trustworthy and 72 percent said they regularly received fewer minutes than promised.

In contrast, 76 percent of survey respondents said Rebtel consistently offered lower rates than calling cards or other international calling services. And, because there are no special PIN numbers to remember or long international phone numbers to enter when using Rebtel, 83 percent of respondents said Rebtel was easier to use. Finally, 71 percent said call quality is better or much better with Rebtel than any of the cards or services the survey participants had used previously.

"No one makes calling the Philippines from 50 countries around the world easier, cheaper, or with better sound quality than Rebtel," said Andreas Bernstrom, CEO of Stockholm-based Rebtel. "Call your family and friends at home and use any phone you like – mobile or landline. These are the world's lowest calling rates to the Philippines, bar none."

About Rebtel

Rebtel is an Internet phone company that makes it possible to use any phone in 50 countries to call anywhere in the world for just pennies per minute or for free. Rebtel customers only pay for the minutes they use. There are no monthly fees, no connection fees, or hidden costs. Free calls are possible between the 50 countries served by Rebtel and only one of the two people on a call must be a Rebtel customer. For more information, or to start using Rebtel, go to http://www.rebtel.com.

SOURCE Rebtel

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