We know it’s tempting to return a call from an unrecognised number, but local network provider MTN has warned its network users to avoid returning missed calls from international numbers, as there is a scam called Wangiri Fraud doing the rounds. According to MTN, Wangiri means ‘one ring and cut’ in Japanese, the language of the country in which the scam originated.
How does it work?
This scam is a type of phone fraud where the perpetrator dials random mobile numbers and then hangs up after one ring. A missed call then shows on the recipient’s phone. Most people are tempted to call back, thinking it’s a legitimate call, and when they do they are charged at premium call rates.
Those who call back are usually subject to being spammed with automated advertising messages when they return these calls. Another version of Wangiri Fraud has also made its way to WhatsApp, where users will get a WhatsApp message with a contact attachment from an unrecognised number.
This is where the scam comes in: the number in the contact is different from the number the message originated from. Calling this number back could cost you a lot of money, as the call will be charged at a premium rate.
If you do choose to call back, ‘An interactive voice response (IVR) announcement will play, after which you are connected to a call-centre agent,’ one industry expert explains. WhatsApp users are warned to be on the lookout for these messages, and not to return the call as requested.
PHOTO: iStock/Mixmike
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The post Don’t get caught by the ‘missed-call’ phone scam appeared first on Good Housekeeping.
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