Have you ever received a missed call from an unknown or international number, only to feel the urge to call back and find out who it was? Millions of people fall victim to this scam each year — a simple yet sophisticated mobile fraud. Known as the missed call scam or Wangiri, these scams typically operate by dialing a large volume of phone numbers in a targeted area or market. The calls ring just once, and then the scammer hangs up, hoping that the recipient will return the call out of curiosity.
Once the victim calls back, they are connected to a premium-rate number, which could be anything from an international hotline to a premium-rate voicemail service. The scammer earns a commission from the telecom provider for each minute the victim stays on the line.
These scams are simple yet highly effective, exploiting the victim’s curiosity and fear of missing out. What makes the scam especially deceptive is that the victim is unaware of the steep charges until their phone bill arrives, often revealing significant costs for calls they never intended to make.
Wangiri is a Japanese term meaning "one ring and cut", a specific type of International Revenue Share Fraud (IRSF), focusing on inducing a callback to premium rate numbers.
Fraudsters exploit networks and technology, such as auto-dialers and international premium-rate numbers (IPRNs), to carry out their scams. Using auto-dialers, they place thousands of one-ring calls to unsuspecting users, often from countries with high-risk area codes. These brief calls are designed to spark curiosity, prompting users to return the call. Once the call is returned, high charges are applied, benefiting the fraudsters who artificially inflate traffic to these costly destinations.
A few examples of how Wangiri calls might look:
A missed call from an unfamiliar international number, like +44 7000 000000 (a UK number). The user returns the call and is connected to a premium-rate line that incurs high charges for each minute of the call.
A missed call from an unknown number, such as +212 6X XX XX XX (a Moroccan number). The user returns the call and is charged a high per-minute rate for an international connection, potentially incurring significant costs before realizing it's a scam.
The user receives a missed call from a local-looking number, such as +1 (555) 123-4567. Believing it to be familiar, the user returns the call, only to discover it is an international rate number, leading to high charges.
The user notices a missed call from +49 XXX XXXXXXX, a Germany number. Believing it might be important, the user calls back, only to discover it’s a premium-rate number that charges excessively for the connection.
Wangiri scam continues to evolve rapidly and is becoming more complex, with fraudsters refining their tactics to exploit telecom networks and victims more effectively.
Impact: Victims who return the call are connected to premium-rate lines, resulting in larger financial losses for them.
Scammers leverage disposable and virtual numbers to conduct Wangiri scams.
How it works:
Impact: Calling back a disposable or virtual number used in a Wangiri scam can lead to high charges, potential re-targeting, and a lack of traceability, leaving users vulnerable to further fraud and financial loss.
Impact: Businesses can easily incur large costs if they mistakenly call back premium-rate numbers. Furthermore, larger companies may not notice a small cost increase from these calls, making them easier targets for scammers.
Impact: These campaigns increase the urgency and curiosity of the victim, making them more likely to call back a missed number. By capitalizing on heightened emotions, scammers can maximize the effectiveness of Wangiri calls during these times.
Wangiri scams are not just nuisance calls—they're part of a rapidly evolving voice fraud ecosystem. These phone call scams exploit vulnerabilities in telecom infrastructure, targeting subscribers and generating illicit revenue through premium-rate call-backs.
Neural Technologies’ SCAMBlock solution enables real-time, data-driven call decisions and automated active blocking of highly suspicious scam calls, including Wangiri scams, before they reach your customers. With AI-driven detection, real-time call blocking, and stronger collaboration between telecom operators and regulators, the industry can outsmart this persistent threat.
SCAMBlock’s network-embedded analysis enables immediate detection and blocking of fraudulent calls, including Wangiri scams. This proactive solution helps telecom operators reduce the financial impact of scam calls by preventing users from calling premium-rate numbers associated with fraud.
Wangiri scams and other fraud tactics often evolve, using disposable numbers and caller ID spoofing to stay undetected. SCAMBlock leverages machine learning algorithms to continuously analyze call patterns, adapting to new scam strategies and offering dynamic protection that evolves alongside emerging threats.
SCAMBlock enhances user awareness by providing real-time voice warnings for high-risk calls, especially from international numbers commonly targeted in scams. This alert gives users the opportunity to make informed decisions before answering, helping to mitigate the impact of potential fraud.
SCAMBlock allows users to personalize their defenses with a “blocklist” or “allowlist” of specific countries or regions, enabling both individuals and businesses to handle their call management based on their unique exposure to fraud risks, ensuring a more targeted protection strategy.
For telecommunications providers, SCAMBlock offers a real-time dashboard that provides insights into call fraud activity, including trends in scam attempts. This data enables telecoms to refine their anti-fraud measures and adapt to changing fraud tactics, helping to protect their network and customer base more effectively.