Get a Missed Call? Be Careful! It Might Be the One-Ring and Cut-Call Scam

A Globe SecuriTip to keep in mind as fraudsters turn to mobile calling

Wangiri, which literally translates into “one (ring) and cut” in Japanese, is a long-running call scam that’s on the rise again. On top of text scams, security breaches via public WiFi, and online scams, fraudsters today are turning to phone calls. 

Here, a seemingly innocent missed call becomes something more—and it may be too late before you realize you’ve been scammed out of shelling out money. How can you protect yourself as a mobile user? Brush up on the details ahead!

Be vigilant about unfamiliar or international numbers that register as missed calls.

For fraudsters pulling the “one-ring and cut call” scam, the goal is to initiate an unsuccessful or short-duration call in order to get the subscriber they’re preying on to call them back. In doing so, this victim ends up being charged a fee they are unaware they’re raking up.

As tempting as it may be to satisfy your curiosity and call back, remember that fraudsters set out to take advantage of a false sense of urgency, which phone calls tend to trigger. Be wary; think first before taking action.

If the number is unknown to you, hold back on returning the call.

Were you actually expecting a call for work or a personal engagement? Is the number calling you from a local service provider? These are just some of the questions to consider as you hold back from returning the call.

If the person reaching out is a legitimate contact anyway and using a local number, they will likely reach out for a follow-up via text to at least confirm who they are and why they called. Alternatively, they should have no problem revealing their identity should you be the one to send a text to confirm what their call was supposed to be about.

Keep in mind: when it comes to international calls, calling back will incur charges to your bill.

It all boils down to the number that pops up on your phone. If you don’t have a scheduled or expected international call from a legitimate contact of yours, the rule of thumb is that there is no reason for you to engage an unknown international number.

Getting in touch with someone abroad? Why not turn to free, end-to-end encrypted social messaging apps instead?

At Globe, protecting subscribers from scammers is a major point of concern in 2022. To double down on efforts, the service provider has put in place both proactive and reactive daily monitoring of suspicious callers, blocking of fraudulent calling numbers, and the release of regular awareness campaigns, among other efforts.

To learn more about Globe’s cybersecurity mission, visit the Cybersecurity and Data Privacy page.