People in France should avoid calling back missed calls from unknown numbers due to an increase in a scam known as ‘wangiri’, the European cybercrime centre Europol has warned.
The name comes from the Japanese word ‘wangiri’, which means ‘one [ring] and cut’. Scammers call the potential victim, let the phone ring once, and then hang up. They are relying on the curiosity of the call recipient, and hoping that they phone back.
If they do ring back, the victim is rerouted to a premium overseas number, and charged at a very expensive rate.
Avoid calling back any unknown numbers, especially if they appear to come from a country (with an international dialling code) you do not recognise.
Let your phone company know if you start to receive increased types of calls like this.
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You may feel pressure to phone back a caller who you accidentally missed, but genuine callers will very likely leave a message, or call you back at another time. They are also very likely to let the phone ring several times to give you more time to answer, in direct contrast to the scammers.
It is also a good idea to ensure you are signed up to Bloctel, the government service that is intended to help reduce marketing calls and calls from unknown numbers.
