WARNING: If Someone Calls You Once & Instantly Hangs Up, Don't Do This One Thing...
By Dreamer
I wonder whose calling me? This number isn't recognizable. Stop, says the FTC. You could become the new victim of a brand new phone scam. It's called the One-Ring Scam.
This is how the scam works: Scammers will use auto-dialers to call random smartphones all over the country. What happens next is that they will only let one ring go through and immediately hang up — this is done in order for your phone to get a "missed call" alert.
Scammers hope that this alert prompts you to call right back, thinking that you missed an important call or there was a signal issue. Once you do that, you may hear something like “Hello. You’ve reached the operator, please hold.” All the while, you’re getting slammed with some hefty charges — a per-minute charge on top of an international rate. The calls are from phone numbers with three-digit area codes that look like they’re from inside the U.S., but actually are associated with international phone numbers — often in the Caribbean.
The area codes include: 268, 284, 473, 664, 649, 767, 809, 829, 849 and 876.
If you get a call like this, don’t pick it up and don’t call the number back. There’s no danger in getting the call: the danger is in calling back and racking up a whopping bill.
If you’re tempted to call back, do yourself a favor and check the number through online directories first. They can tell you where the phone number is registered.
If you’ve been a victim of the “one-ring” scam, try to resolve the charges with your cell phone carrier. If that doesn’t work, file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission.
And as a general rule: Read your phone bill often — line by line. If you don’t recognize or understand a charge, contact your carrier.
Inc.com recently reported that there are actually three versions of this scam now:
Scammer calls and hangs up before anyone answers. Scammer waits for the victim to answer and plays a pre-recorded message of someone in an emergency situation and then hangs up. Scammer sends a text message indicating that they are in trouble.
Share this with your family and friends.
Source- Consumer.ftc.gov
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