Wangiri, the telephone scam that terrorizes Italians: how to recognize it and not fall into the trap of cybercriminals
It all starts with a ring on the phone, too fast to answer. But it is precisely when he goes to call the number back that he falls into the trap. As he explains Fanpagethe scam of wangiri it has been around for years, but recently cases have increased. The idea behind it is quite simple. If the victim calls back, she is directed to a toll number that charges for expensive telephone services and subscriptions to premium services.
According to experts, the origin of the fraud is Japanese, but given its cunning it took little to spread everywhere. THE scammers they employ various tactics, including leaving messages on voicemail to encourage victims to call back. They often choose to contact people during night or work hours to limit the chances of one immediate response. This is because the scam is only successful if the victim decides to call back the number provided. Once on the phone, the scammers' goal is to keep the call active for as long as possible.
The calls are (almost) always foreign numbers
As he writes Fanpagethe international police have found that the most used prefixes of scam calls are those of Moldova (+373), Kosovo (+383), e Tunisia (+216). The scammers' goal is to ensure that the victim does not have time to answer and calls the same number back. If this happens, the call is redirected to a surcharge number, where a fake automated customer service answers.
For those who want to do the litmus test and find out, before calling back, whether it is a scam or not, they can consult the program made available by the Communications Regulatory Authority (Agcom). The tool allows you to check whether a number is registered in the Register of Communication Operators. If it does not appear, then it is very likely that it is a fake, and it is possible to block it manually from your device.
How to defend yourself
To prevent scamsit is advisable ignore calls from numbers not stored in the phonebook, especially if they are international. An additional precaution is to block international calls, but this may also prevent you from receiving legitimate calls. There are several apps that help filter suspicious calls, functioning as spam protectors.
Those who receive frequent calls from similar foreign numbers should contact their telephone operator or report the problem to police post. This could help in identifying and stopping scammers as soon as possible.
#ring #they39ll #empty #account #scam #terrifies #young #people