Science

FCC warns about 'one ring' robocall scheme


Why you should NEVER return a robocall: Scam calls that ring once charge sky-high rates if you call back

  • Scam involves someone calling your phone then hanging up after one ring
  • Suspect caller may not leave a voicemail, tricking users into calling them back
  • This can result in hefty fees as the number is actually from an international area
  • FCC said one ring robocalls have been detected in New York area and Arizona 

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.  

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The FCC has issued a warning about 'one ring' schemes that are on the rise and are carried out by robocallers. Scammers trick users into calling back an unknown international number

The FCC has issued a warning about ‘one ring’ schemes that are on the rise and are carried out by robocallers. Scammers trick users into calling back an unknown international number

WHAT ARE ‘ONE-RING’ SCHEMES? 

Scammers may call users and hang up the phone after it rings once, often without leaving a voicemail. 

The call may appear to be from the U.S., whether due to a spoofing service, which displays a different number than the one used to call you, or other methods. 

Users are often tricked into calling these numbers back, connecting them to an international number. 

They then get slapped with hefty interconnect fees.  

‘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. 

In one-ring schemes, savvier 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

In one-ring schemes, savvier 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

The FCC have issued advice on how to avoid the scam, including avoiding calls from numbers you don't recognize

The FCC have issued advice on how to avoid the scam, including avoiding calls from numbers you don’t recognize

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. 

‘Advances in technology allow massive amounts of calls to be made cheaply and easily,’ the FCC said. 

‘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 agency added.

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. 

ARE ROBOCALLS ON THE RISE? 

A new report from caller ID service Hiya found that Americans received a whopping 26.3 billion spam calls in 2018.

That marks a 46 percent increase from 2017, when users logged about 18 billion robocalls.

What’s more, as people in the U.S. get a barrage of spam calls, many are increasingly choosing not to answer the phone at all.

In its analysis, Hiya found that people received an average of about 10 spam calls per month.

People received about 60 incoming calls from ‘unrecognized numbers or numbers not linked to a person in their contact list.’ 

The top area codes that were targeted by spam callers in 2018 were Texas cities including Dallas, San Antonio, Austin and Fort Worth.

Of the spam calls received, most of them were ‘general spam,’ followed by fraud, telemarketers and robocallers.

Robocalls have become so common that a 2018 report predicted almost 50 percent of all mobile calls will be scam calls this year.  



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