FCC Issues Warning About West African ‘One Ring’ Scam

Oh goodness. As if we weren’t annoyed enough with robocalls and spoof callers from French phone numbers, there is a new scam attacking our cell phones.

This one involves one ring and a sudden stop, and some people are making the mistake of returning the call. The FCC is warning mobile phone customers not to call back. Simple: if you don’t recognize the number, don’t answer it and don’t return the call.

Posers are using national area codes to place the calls and if you happen to call back, you could be getting charged for an international call. The trick is to keep you on the phone for as long as is possible so the scammers can collect from the fees. You won’t notice until your phone bill arrives.

According to the FCC, this isn’t the only way they’re getting people. “Variations of this scam rely on phony voice-mail messages urging you to call a number with an unfamiliar area code to ‘collect a prize’ or to notify you about a ‘sick’ relative.”

Learn which regions are seeing a spike in these types of calls and how to protect yourself by watching the video below. The FCC urges consumers to file a complaint with the agency for repeat calls or to block incoming and outgoing international numbers, especially from area codes you do not recognize.

Are you a victim of this scam? Have you noticed an uptick in these scam calls? How do you handle them?