One Ring Scam

Did your phone ring once then cut off? Don’t call back!

Who Is It Targeting: Cell phone owners

What Is It: Phone scam in which the caller lets it ring once and hangs up

What Are They After: What could possibly be the purpose in hanging up on you after your phone rings once? The missed call message! Scammers using auto-dial software call random phone numbers and then hang up. Your phone’s screen displays a missed call message, so you call back to see what was so important.

Many of the reported calls have three-digit area codes that appear to be US phone numbers, but you’re actually calling a scammer in the Caribbean, and paying long distance charges to go with it.

How Can You Avoid It:

• Do not return a missed call if you don’t recognize the number.
• Remember, if it was important, the caller will leave a voice mail.
• Using your phone, you can do a quick phone number search or area code search before calling.

If you think you may be a victim of identity theft, contact the Identity Theft Resource Center for toll-free, no-cost assistance at (888) 400-5530. Find more information about current scams and alerts here. For full details of this scam check out this article from Pix11.com.