One Ring Scam

Good morning and welcome back to Fraud Fridays, folks! Today on the docket: One Ring Scams!

Let's first look from the mark's perspective. You receive a call on your mobile phone. Shown on the screen, a number you don't recognize, "unknown," or our best friend "likely spam." As fast as you go to check it, the line hangs up. Questions start to flood your mind, who called? A family member in need? Did I win a prize? Was this my foreign prince, promising a wealthy future? Naturally, to find out, you give a call back.

Anticipating a game of phone tag, you return the call. To your surprise, someone answers. The person on the other line immediately claims to be from a reputable company or some other seemingly legitimate source. Now, if you got to this point, I'm sorry to inform that you have been scammed. From here, whatever information the scammer can dredge from your conversation is nothing but a cherry on top. They may try to draw personal information from you, or request payment for a miscellaneous scam. Those, however, are not the focus on today's Fraud Friday.

So, let's talk about what happens next. At the end of your billing cycle, your mobile service provider sends you your regular bill. By "regular" I don't mean the cost. The cost is exorbitant. Sometimes flying into several hundreds of dollars. So why? Why me? Why now? What happened? Who is to blame?!?

In a word, scammer. The operator of this con uses a phone number with high international rates. Therein lies the scam. The scammer calls several numbers overseas to have the highest probability of someone returning their call. After one ring, they hang up. They may call several times but will generally hang up after one ring. This is to entice your curiosity and get you to call back. If you call back, it becomes a time game. This is because the phone number they are calling from is an international number that charges a high fee per minute. High fee per minute also means that their plan is to keep you on the line for as long as possible. The longer they keep you on the line, the more money their cut is worth. The scammer will collect their cut, generally through an arrangement with the premium rate provider.

So, how can this be avoided? Firstly, and most importantly, don't call back unknown numbers if they're not leaving coherent voicemails. Especially if the number in question is an international number. If the same number is continuously calling you, block it. Along with this, check your phone bill regularly. This will allow you to catch suspicious charges and international call fees early, to report to your phone provider.

Ultimately, like with any scam, vigilance and critical thinking are the best protections. If a call seems phishy, it's probably best ignored. Thank you for stopping by for today's Fraud Friday. Have a fantastic weekend!