Beware! Do Not Call Back If You Get a Miscall from This Number
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Have you ever received a call from an unknown number that rang only once and then disconnected? Do not immediately call back, because you could be the target of a wangiri fraud scheme.
Wangiri is a Japanese term meaning “one ring and hang up”. This modus operandi exploits the victim’s curiosity to call back an unknown number, especially one using a foreign country code.
The Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi) has previously reminded the public to be wary of suspicious calls of this kind. Similar cases were once widespread with calls using the +77 code, which put mobile operator customers at risk of being trapped when making a return call.
The main danger arises when the victim follows the perpetrator’s indirect instruction to call back. The call may be charged at international rates, while certain numbers can connect to premium services that cause communication costs to balloon and benefit the perpetrator.
Apart from draining credit or balance, the victim’s phone number also has the potential to be recorded and used for subsequent fraudulent activities. Therefore, the public needs to be more careful about missed calls from unknown foreign numbers.
To avoid the wangiri trap, pay attention to the following steps:
- Check the country code
Examine the prefix of the number on the missed call. Indonesia uses the +62 code, while numbers with foreign country codes should be viewed with suspicion if you are not expecting a call from abroad.
- Do not call back
If you do not recognise the number, ignore the call and do not make a call back. This step is important to prevent credit or balance from being deducted due to international rates or premium services.
- Look up the number first
If you are curious, search for information about the number through a search engine or a phone number checking service. That way, you can find out whether the number has been reported in connection with fraud before taking any action.