There is a scam in the works that is affecting millions of people and it’s called the “one-ring” call scam. Your phone rings and a number pops up you don’t recognize. It rings only once. And now you’re curious and calling that number back could get you into trouble. Here’s how it works: scammers auto-dial cell phones across the country at random. The calls are from area codes that include: 268, 284, 473, 664, 649, 767, 809, 829, 849 and 876. It could look just like a U.S. number but it actually may be coming from the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, the British Virgin Islands or Grenada.
When you call back, a message says you have reached an operator — please hold.
In some cases, the calls go to adult entertainment or other expensive services.
The Washington state attorney general reported that victims were charged $19.95 for an international call and $9 a minute.
There are apps to help protect you from scams:
Truecaller is one of the most widely used with 50 million users worldwide. It has successfully created the world’s largest crowdsourced spam caller list.
The bottom line is this: don’t call numbers you don’t recognize. “If it’s somebody who legitimately was trying to reach you, they’ll try again.
If you get one of these calls, try googling the number to see if it’s suspicious. There is no danger in getting the call. The danger is in calling back and racking up a big bill.
If you have been a victim of the “one-ring” scam, try to resolve the charges with your cellphone carrier. If that doesn’t work, file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commision and the Federal Communications Commission. As a general rule, always go over your phone bill.
