The One-Ring Call Scam: Don't Call Back

Your phone rings once and stops. An unknown number , often international, appears on your missed calls list. Your curiosity prompts you to return the call. Don't! You could be falling for the " Wangiri " scam.

It's a scam as simple as it is effective, playing on one of our most basic impulses: curiosity. It's known internationally as "Wangiri," a Japanese word meaning " call and cut ," and has resurfaced strongly in Mexico, according to user reports and alerts from authorities.

The method is incredibly simple. Scammers use automated systems to make thousands of calls per minute to random numbers. The call lasts just one or two rings, just long enough for it to register as a missed call on your phone, and then they hang up. The goal isn't to get you to answer, but to get you to notice the missed call and, driven by intrigue, call back.

Image of a smartphone showing a missed call from a number with a strange international prefix.

That's where the scam comes in. The number you're calling isn't a conventional number. It's a premium-rate number, similar to those used for TV game shows or adult content lines. These numbers have an extremely high per-minute cost.

When you return the call, scammers will try to keep you on the line as long as possible. They use various tactics to achieve this:

• They play endless hold music.
• They play a recording with a confusing message or one that seems interesting.
• There's some background noise, as if the connection is bad, so you should wait for it to clear up.
• Someone may even answer and, under some pretext, prolong the conversation.

While you wait, your phone bill ticks, generating revenue for scammers and an exorbitant charge for you. The cost can be tens or even hundreds of pesos per minute.

"The Wangiri scam doesn't steal your data or install a virus. It steals money directly from your phone bill, using your own curiosity as a weapon."

Prevention is the only effective defense against this fraud.

1. Identify suspicious prefixes:

Calls usually come from international numbers. Pay special attention to area codes from small or distant countries with which you have no connection. Some common prefixes used in this scam are:

• +216 (Tunisia)
• +242 (Congo)
• +225 (Ivory Coast)
• +375 (Belarus)
• +387 (Bosnia)

And many others from Africa, Eastern Europe or small Pacific islands.

2. The golden rule: Don't call back:

If you receive a call from an unknown number (national or international) that immediately hangs up, never return the call. If it's something important or legitimate, the person will call back, leave a voicemail, or contact you via another means like WhatsApp.

3. Block the number:

Immediately after receiving one of these calls, block the number on your phone to prevent further calls from that number.

4. Contact your operator:

If you accidentally returned the call, contact your mobile phone company immediately. Explain the situation and ask if they can stop the charges. Although it's not always possible, reporting it helps carriers identify and block these fraudulent numbers.