Bottom line: Scammers will stoop to any level to swindle a buck as evident by an increasingly popular tactic that preys on people's curiosity. Simply put, if you don't recognize a number you received a call from, don't call it back. If it's important enough, they'll leave a voice message.

The Federal Communications Commission recently issued an alert to consumers regarding an increasingly popular robocall scam. Odds are, you’ve probably already experienced it for yourself.

The scam, dubbed “One Ring” or “Wangiri,” is exactly as it sounds and plays on the curiosity of the consumer. An automated robocaller calls your phone but only lets it ring once or twice. Intrigued, the recipient will call the number back at which time the hook has been set as the return call runs up a toll which the scammer gets most of.

The FCC said such calls often happen in bursts in the middle of the night. Recent reports indicate they are using the “222” country code for the West African nation of Mauritania although because the technology to spoof such calls is readily available and cheap to obtain, they could be coming from anywhere.

The commission recommends not calling back numbers you do not recognize, especially those that appear to originate overseas. It’s also not a bad idea to check your phone bill for charges you don’t recognize. What’s more, if you never make international calls, the FCC suggests talking to your phone company about blocking outbound international calls to prevent accidental toll calls.

As always, you can file a complaint with the FCC when you receive a spam call.

 

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