Online Safety - Wangiri | MEO
Protect yourself, your family, and your friends. Learn tips and advice for browsing safely.
Browsing the Internet Safely
Protect yourself, your family, and your friends. Learn tips and advice for staying safe online.
What is Wangiri?
Wangiri is a telephone scam technique that originated in Japan; its name literally means "ring and hang up." This practice involves making very brief calls so that the recipient sees a missed call and calls back. The goal is to ensure that, when the person returns the call, they are charged high rates—often for international numbers or value-added services—resulting in profits for the scammers.
How should we proceed?
If you receive a call from an unknown international number that rings only once and then hangs up, you should not call back, to avoid paying exorbitant charges for that call.
Use the internet to look up the phone number that tried to call you. Often, numbers associated with scams are reported online.
For your safety, if you wish, you can block the number in your mobile phone so you no longer receive calls from that number.
How does Wangiri work?
Wangiri works as follows:
1. Missed Call: The scammer makes a quick call, usually from an international number or a premium-rate number, and hangs up before the person has a chance to answer. This triggers a missed call notification on the victim’s phone.
2. Return Call: Curious about the missed call, the recipient may return the call, unaware that they will be charged high rates per minute.
3. Excessive Charges: When the person returns the call, they are often directed to a recorded message or put on hold, prolonging the call duration and increasing the costs.