In recent years, Telephone scams They have evolved alarmingly, taking advantage of the trust or ignorance of many people. Today, it is very usually Receive calls of numbers that we do not have saved on the agenda. Sometimes, we don’t think much and we simply answer by inertia. Other times, seeing a Lost callwe are curious to know who has tried to contact us. However, what seems like a simple call could become a scam If we are not attentive.
The Civil Guard and other agencies have already warned about certain numbers that hide a fraud with serious economic consequences. These calls do not always come from our country. In fact, some criminals use Numeters with prefixes from foreign countries to carry out a type of fraud known as “the scam of the call loss.” Here we explain in detail how this scam works, what numbers you should avoid and how you can protect yourself.
What is this telephone scam?
The method is simpler than it seems. It all starts with a very brief calledso short that it barely takes time to answer. Generally, a single tone sounds or even hangs before you can press the green button. The objective is not that you respond, but see the lost call on your screen. The scammer knows that many people feel the need to return the call, either by courtesy, or simply out of curiosity.
However, when returning the call, you will be marking a special tarification number. This means that the call is not free, and the most serious: the rate per minute can be extremely high. On the other side, you may find a phrase in another language, a false message or, in some cases, simply an endless waiting tone. Meanwhile, you are paying for every second you are on the phone, and part of that money goes directly to criminals.
The authorities have identified several Telephone prefixes that have been used in this type of fraud. Although it does not mean that all calls from these countries are dangerous, numerous cases have been reported in which these codes have been used. Some of the most common prefixes are:
- +355: Albania
- +225: Ivory coast
- +233: Ghana
- +234: Nigeria
How to act
Although there is no infallible formula to identify a Telephone scamthere are certain indications that can help you be alert. One of the most frequent is to receive a very short call, which barely sounds once before it is cut. This type of contact seeks to awaken your curiosity and make the call back without thinking too much.
Another warning sign is that the number comes from abroadespecially if you don’t have family, friends or job contacts outside the country. In addition, if that same number insists several times at different times of the day, it is likely to be an attempt to fraud. To this is added that some of these numbers are too long, which can also raise suspicions.
On the other hand, it is important to remember that official entities, such as public administrations or recognized companiesthey rarely use international calls to contact citizens. If you receive a call of these characteristics, the most prudent is not to respond or return it immediately. Instead, you can search the Internet; There are specialized forums and pages where other users share their experiences and warn about possible scams.
If you have already fallen into the deception and returned one of these calls, the first thing is to communicate with your telephone operator. Ask if you can block additional charges or cancel the call. In some cases, the return of the amount can be claimed, although it is not always possible.
In addition, you must file a complaint at the police station or in the Civil Guard Telematic Crimes Portal or National Police. You can also report the number on specialized pages to alert other users.
How to protect yourself
To protect yourself from this type of telephone scams, the first thing you can do is Activate the unknown call filter. Both Android and iPhone devices include options to automatically block the calls of numbers that are not saved on the agenda or that have been reported as spam. It is also essential to avoid returning international calls that you do not expect.
If you see a strange number, especially if you start by a Foreign prefixthe most sensible thing is not to return it without verifying its origin. In addition, it is highly advisable to install specialized applications such as Truecaller or Hya, which allow automatically identifying suspicious calls.
The mobile phone, which connects us with the world and facilitates so many things, can also be a entrance door for scammers If we are not careful. The lost call may seem harmless, but behind it a very well designed fraudulent strategy can be hidden.
