Received a Missed Call from This Number? Do Not Pick Up or Call Back

Have you ever found a missed call from a foreign number on your mobile phone screen? Curiosity often makes some people reflexively call the number back immediately. However, you must remain vigilant. Instead of obtaining important information, this rash action could trap you in a cybercrime scheme with devastating consequences for your wallet. This fraud mode generally exploits foreign numbers, especially international dialling codes. The psychological strategy is similar to the legendary scam scheme from Japan known as Wangiri in the 2000s, which was rampant in Indonesia around 2018. The fraud syndicate’s modus operandi is simple yet deadly. They deliberately make random missed calls to arouse the potential victim’s curiosity. When the victim is provoked and makes a return call, that is when the financial calamity begins. The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs revealed that when a victim calls back, their phone credit balance will be immediately drained due to extremely expensive international call rates. The risk balloons further if the foreign number turns out to be connected to a premium-rate service. The exorbitant additional charges will then flow directly as profit to the fraudsters. To anticipate financial losses, the ministry urges the public to be more astute and check the track record of the contacting number, especially if the number uses an overseas code. As an easy indicator, the official mobile number code for Indonesia is +62. If an incoming call uses a code other than that, it is almost certain the call originates from an international network. ‘If the number is from overseas, you had better check again whether the number feels familiar or not. If it does not, you should not call back,’ read an official statement from the ministry. Another preventive measure that can be taken is utilising search engines or installing smart phone number tracking applications to identify the number owner’s identity before deciding to respond. Do not let a moment of curiosity drain your account balance.