It all starts with a call. There is no warning, or apparent suspicion. Just an unknown number, sometimes foreignwhich appears in the phone screen. Some answer with a simple “aló”, others return the call after an insistent tone.
What not everyone knows is that this minimum gesture can open the door to a scam designed with precision. From False recordings until automatic charges, telephone fraud has evolved in silence And today it circulates with international codes that are repeated again and again.
The most recent reports warn about certain prefixes that often appear in scam attempts. It is mostly Numbers from countries such as Albania (+355), Ivory Coast (+225), Ghana (+233) and Nigeria (+234).
Calls may sound once, just enough to awaken curiosity. when returning the call, The user not only loses money for high charges, he also runs the risk of delivering his voice to those who seek to supplant identities.
Consumer Defense Organizations and Security Forces have detected a disturbing pattern: scammers not only look for affirmative answers. Also They serve voice fragments, even innocent words like “no” or “aló”.
With those minimal recordings, They can build false dialogues using artificial intelligence, simulate bank authorizations or deceive automated systems.
Among the most common techniques figure vishinga voice pHishing form. The criminal calls, he presents himself as an employee of a financial entity and formulates questions that induce the user to say “yes” or confirm their identity. From there, the audio is manipulated, cut and combined with previously obtained data to perform operations on behalf of the victim.
Experts recommend avoiding phrases such as “yes”, “no”, “hello” or “aló” when answering unknown numbers. Instead, they suggest using neutral expressions such as “Who do you want to talk to?” either remain silent to verify if it is an automated system.
Technology also offers tools to prevent these frauds. On Android phones, for example, It is possible to activate functions that identify and filter suspicious calls. Upon entering the configuration of the telephone application, you can activate the options “See ID of Issuer and Spam” and “Filter spam calls”.
With these activated tools, the system shows visual alerts when the number has been reported as scam, unwanted advertising or fraud attempt. In addition, there is the possibility of completely blocking the numbers not registered on the agenda.
While this option significantly reduces exposure to malicious calls, also It can prevent legitimate communications such as job interviews or medical appointmentsso it is recommended to use it with criteria.
The first step to protect itself is to recognize the codes that appear frequently in fraud. In addition to those previously mentioned, the authorities recommend distrust any unexpected international call.
Personal information, verification codes, bank data or passwords by phone should never be shared. If a call generates doubts, the most prudent is to finish it and contact the entity that supposedly communicated.
It is also suggested to look for the number on the Internet, since many sites allow to verify if it has been reported by other users. In case of answering or returning the call and suspecting a possible fraud, it is important to change passwords, contact the bank and report the incident to the authorities.
Some telephone operators also allow automatically blocking marked as dangerous.
Answering a call is no longer an innocent action. Identifying suspicious codes and responding cautiously may be the difference between a daily routine and an unexpected chain of consequences.
