Don’t Call Back! Avoid the Wangiri (Missed Call) Scam

It is natural that you might be curious to call the number back after spotting a missed call on your phone. Sometimes, you might even receive a recorded message asking you to call back the number urgently. Your curiosity might end up costing you money if you fall for a Wangiri Scam.

What is the Wangiri Scam?

The Wangiri scam originated in Japan and ‘Wangiri’ is a Japanese word that translates to ‘one ring and cut’. The Wangiri Scam is so called because victims are lured into calling a premium number after seeing missed calls on their phone. The scammers use automated calling systems to make phone calls that usually cut after just one ring.

If you call the number back, you will be greeted by either a real person or a long Interactive Voice Response (IVR) message with the intention of keeping you hooked on the call for as long as possible. The reason behind this is that you will be charged for every minute you spend on the call, as the phone number would be a premium line. Thus, the Wangiri Scam works by charging victims outrageous rates for a pointless phone call.

Signs of a Wangiri Scam Call

You don’t need to be suspicious of every missed call or phone number to avoid this scam. There are two telltale signs of a Wangiri Scam call:

The call rings once (or for a short duration) before cutting automatically
The call is from an international number

If you call back the number, it is likely to be a Wangiri Scam if:

• The call is picked up by an IVR system
• There is a stranger at the other end of the line
• The person keeps extending the length of the call
• They keep saying that the reception is bad, but won’t let you cut the call

How to Avoid a Wangiri Scam Call

You can avoid falling for this scam by following a few simple tips:

• Check the country code: The first one to three digits of a number followed by the plus sign are the code for the country from which the call is originating. For example, calls originating from the USA begin with ‘+1’ and those from the UK begin with ‘+44’.
  
  Country codes such as ‘+267’ (Botswana), ‘+224’ (Guinea) and ‘+592’ (Guyana) are high-risk for Wangiri scams, but the scam is not exclusive to these countries.
  
  
• Check unknown numbers: You can run a search for the number in search engines like Google and Bing, or in an app such as Truecaller. It is possible that the number may have been already flagged as a scam online.
  
  
• Don’t return the call: It is rarely a good idea to call back a number that you don’t recognize and doesn’t originate from your country. Moreso if you were by the phone when the call arrived and saw it cutting after a single ring. Someone who really needs to get in touch with you will try an additional contact method, such as text message or email.
  
  
• Do not share your number online: Scammers use bots to trawl the internet and collect phone numbers that have been publicly posted online. Phone numbers are also leaked when there a company faces a data breach and personal details of their customers are stolen.

Therefore, avoid sharing your number with any website or app unless you absolutely have to and never post your number publicly.

Wangiri scams are quite common but relatively easy to avoid compared to some other scams. Share this article with others to help them be aware about this scam too. Read our article on 8 Common Phone Scams to know about similar scams.