The “wangiri” scam, or “ring scam”, is a deceptive strategy that has come back into the spotlight in recent times, but with roots that date back many years. This scam exploits people’s curiosity through missed calls from unknown foreign numberswith the aim of inducing the victim to call back.
The name “wangiri”, of Japanese origin, literally means “one ring and lower”, referring to the mechanism of single ring which leaves a missed call. When the victim calls the number back, they are automatically redirected to pay telephone services with very high rates.
The scammers’ modus operandi is simple: they call at inconvenient times, such as during work or at night, to ensure that the victim does not respond. The scam manifests itself in a short call, often from numbers with international dialing codes, such as Moldova (+373), Kosovo (+383), Tunisia (+216), England (+44), Belarus (+375) and Tanzania (+255).
The main risk is that by calling back, the victim ends up on a pay phone line, with charges that may arise up to 1.5 euros per second. This scheme is particularly effective because it is based on automated calls, therefore with a low cost for scammers.
How to protect yourself from scams
Even if each victim only loses a few euros, the scale of this attack can make the gains for criminals very significant. It is also It is difficult for telephone operators to block these numbers in advancewhich makes prevention particularly complex.
To protect yourself from the wangiri scam, it is important avoid calling back unknown numbers, especially if they come from abroad and if they are reported as suspicious. Users can also contact their carriers for inhibit international callsif not necessary.
It is also recommended ignore links contained in suspicious messages and do not send replies to unidentifiable numbers. Finally, in case of suspicions, it is a good idea to report it to the Postal Police. Attentive behavior and prevention through telephone operators can help reduce the risks associated with these scams which we have talked to you about several times.
