FCC Warns Public Not To Pickup The One-Ring Robocall Scam

It is a bit sad that even in this day and age where we have such amazing technology, that robocalls are still a thing that exists. So far there really doesn’t seem like there is much that can be done about them apart from introducing filters to block known numbers and educating the public about them.

That being said, there is one scam that has been making its rounds for a while now to the point where the FCC has issued a warning to the public, where they are letting people know not to respond to the one-ring robocall scam. This scam is quite straightforward in nature, where it will call the victim’s phone and let it ring once (or a few seconds) before hanging up.

Because it is a missed call, there might be some who are well-intentioned enough to call back to find out what’s up. Unfortunately, this is where the scam gets them, where the call back will result in very expensive per-minute charges if they can be kept on the phone long enough. The calls appear to be originating from Mauritania, a country in West Africa and seem to be taking place late in the night where one might think it’s an emergency and could be tempted to answer or call back.

According to the FCC, “If you never make international calls, consider talking to your phone company about blocking outbound international calls to prevent accidental toll calls.” They are also encouraging the public to file a complaint on the FCC’s website when they receive such calls in the future.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Cellphones, General
Tags: FCC, Legal