The telephone scams They can take many forms and reach a high degree of sophistication, but there is one in which it is not necessary to exchange a single word with the victim. This is the scam known as Wangiri and of which OCU has recently alerted.
Wangiri is a Japanese word that can be translated as “call and cut” and which summarizes quite well the mechanics of this deception which could also be named as missed call scam. Recovering a missed call is common and a gesture that we do without thinking twice, but in this case it can end up having an economic cost.
In this scam, the victim receives a call that It cuts off before I can answer it.. Calls back, connection is established, but to the other line no one answers. After insisting without getting a response, he hangs up without knowing who called to a special rate number, often from abroad, which charges a very expensive amount for the call establishment and connection time. Thus, one victim after another.
According to the OCU, the only really effective way to avoid falling into a wangiri is not returning missed calls to unknown numbers. This habit can be inconvenient in some cases, so it is also advisable to check the number if the call is to be recovered.
The quickest way to do it is search the number on Google and check if there are references about it. You may find that it is a company or business, for example, or if the number has been reported by users on websites that list fraudulent or spam phone numbers.
The OCU also recommends providing special attention to prefixes. When the call comes from another country, it begins with the identifier “+” or “00” followed by the prefix. Wangiri calls can come from countries such as Albania (+355), Ivory Coast (+225), Ghana (+233) or Nigeria (+234), although they can be made from anywhere. Other prefixes with special pricing that you have to be careful with are +803, +806 and +807.