Law enforcement authorities issue warnings concerning international telephone fraud



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(WHSV) – Law enforcement at the local and national levels warns people against a scam that has recently gained popularity.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) calls it the "One Ring" or "Wangiri" scam. Essentially, a scammer uses an automated call and often lets the phone on the other end ring once to try to remind you to call back.

But the figures use a country code for regions like Lithuania, Mauritania or Morocco. You can recognize them by their country codes: that of Mauritania out of 222, that of Lithuania out of 370, the others 32, etc. Many modern cell phones will show that the call comes from these countries.

When you call back this number, per minute long distance charges are high, similar to those of a 900 number.

Recent reports indicate that calls were widespread in New York and Arizona, but nationally. The Grant County Sheriff's Office, located in a rural area of ​​West Virginia, recently issued a warning about an upsurge in calls.

The West Virginia Attorney General, Patrick Morrisey, said that field representatives across the state had been informed of the scam.

Technological advances allow scammers to impersonate phone numbers and mask their identities, as well as to spend a considerable number of calls cheaply and easily.

In general, the FCC says that the robot will respond after one ring or two calls and that it may call several times to try to harass you to find the number.

The toll you pay will largely go to the scammer.

The scam is ubiquitous around the world. His name, Wangiri, is Japanese for "one cup".

If you have received them, they probably come from a range of different numbers, making it almost impossible to block calls.

But the forces of order agree on one thing: do not call back. You will have to pay high telephone fees.

The Attorney General of the FCC and West Virginia offers this combined advice:

· Do not remember numbers that you do not recognize, especially those that seem to come from abroad.
· If you have received these calls, file a complaint with the FCC: at www.fcc.gov/complaints.
· If you never make international calls, consider contacting your telephone company to block outgoing international calls to avoid accidental long distance calls.
· Check your phone bill for charges you do not recognize.
· Never agree to send money, money in wire or numbers associated with a credit / debit card or bank account.
· Never share any identity, financial or other sensitive information with a stranger.

Plus, the FCC has a consumer guide on ring scam here.

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