Scams are the order of the day and we frequently discover new techniques used by scammers, such as the WhatsApp likes scam, fake SMS from the Treasurythe undelivered package notices or the QR code scam, to mention some of the most recent examples.
The National Police has once again warned through its X account about the dangers of Wangiri, a technique that should be kept in mind as it is one of the many scams related to telephone calls that are currently used. In this case, scammers take advantage of a very common behavior that can cost us dearly.
What exactly is Wangiri?
Surely you have ever received a call so short that you didn’t even have time to answer. If the prefix of the number from which the call is coming is a bit strange, we recommend not returning the call: it is almost certainly the missed call scam.
This is not the first time we have talked about Wangiri, but taking into account the message published by the National Police this week everything seems to indicate that the incidence of cases remains high. For this reason, it is worth remembering exactly how it works to be cautious and avoid problems.
Scammers use a behavior as common as calling back when we see a missed call from a number we don’t know. Additionally, scammers make a very short call so that we don’t have time to respond before they hang up. This way, they know that many people will most likely call back without thinking.
If you fall into the trap you will be calling a special rate number which will mean a surcharge on your telephone bill. The problem with this type of scam is that by the time we realize it, it is already too late, since they have already charged us.
Logically, not all the calls we receive come from numbers that we have saved in the phone book: it is common to receive calls from delivery people in relation to an order in the delivery process, for example.
Although in many cases there is no problem returning a phone call (as in the example we mentioned), the trick is check carefully the prefix from which the missed call came. Generally, scammers call using prefixes from outside Spain or with special rates, such as prefixes +803, +806 or +807.
At this point it is important to remember that the best thing we can do if we receive a call of this type is block the number as soon as possible. If you have fallen for the scam, we recommend you contact the authorities.
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