May 13, 2019
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Scam robocalls that ring once charge sky-high rates if you call back
You might want to think twice before returning missed calls from an unknown number. The Federal Communications Commission has issued a new warning about 'one ring' schemes that are on the rise and are carried out by illegal robocallers. A telltale sign is that users' phones will ring once and the caller will hang up without leaving a voicemail, tricking the user into calling them back.
'If that happens to you, and you do not recognize the number, do not return the call. You may be the target of a "one-ring" phone scam,' the FCC warned last week.
Scammers may use phone numbers that appear to be from the U.S. or a phone spoofer, to mask the number that shows up on your device. Others that are savvier will use international numbers from regions that use three-digit area codes, such as 649, which is associated with the Turks and Caicos, as well as 809 and 222, which go to the Dominican Republic and Mauritania, respectively, the FCC explained. The FCC said the calls are widespread in New York and Arizona.
When users call these numbers, they may be connected to a phone number outside the U.S. As a result, they risk being slapped with hefty interconnect fees that can tick up by the minute, depending on how long you stay on the phone.
'Variations of this scam rely on phony voice-mail messages urging you to call a number with an unfamiliar area code to "collect a prize" or to notify you about a "sick" relative,' according to the FCC.
Once users call back, they may hear a recorded message that's meant to keep them on the phone for several minutes or call back a second time. The longer users stay on the phone, or the more times that they call back, the more money bad actors get.
The FCC said: 'Advances in technology allow massive amounts of calls to be made cheaply and easily. In addition, spoofing tools make it easy for scammers to mask their identity. The FCC is working to combat scam calls with enforcement actions, a strong push for caller ID authentication, and support for call blocking tools.'
The FCC offered a few tips to avoid the scam, including avoiding calls from numbers you don't recognize, double checking the area code of incoming calls and disabling international calls on your phone plan if you don't need to make them.
'Always be cautious, even if a number appears authentic,' the FCC said.
Extracted from: www.dailymail.co.uk
