"One Ring Scam" Robocall Scam Surges Nationwide, FCC

The FCC on Friday warned consumers of a surge in robocalls known as the "One Ring" scam (See the FCC announcement below)
The anatomy of these types of spamy robocalls is,  the caller,most likely automatedoperation, dials your number and hangs up almost immediately — typically after one ring, giving the scam's name, one ring scam. The same call may repeat several times in a row, especially in the overnight hours. Apparently, the scammer is betting you'll be concerned after waking up to repeated calls from the same number, and you'll call back to find out what's going on.
Once you call back, that number is like  a 1-900 number, meaning a number that charges callers, the other end will keep you on the phone as long as possible, running up a huge toll charge you'll see on your next phone bill.
Here are some statistics about robocalls and scams, starting with my own area code;

The above is the distribution of Robocalls to my area code, Provided by YouMail Robocall Index

The top 10 robocall scam types for 2018 were: Health/Health Insurance Scams, Interest Rate Scams, Student Loan Scams, Easy Money Scams, Search Listing Scams, Home-Related Scams, Travel Scams, Tax Scams, Business-Related Scams, and Warranty Scams. Remarkably, the top 5 scams all made over a billion estimated robocalls for each category.

Rank	Type of Scam	Estimated 2018 Robocalls	Summary of Scam
1	Health/Health Insurance Scams	5.1 billion	Identify theft/scam payments
2	Interest Rate Scams	2.3 billion	Identify theft
3	Student Loan Scans	1.3 billion	Identify theft/scam payments
4	Easy Money Scams	1.3 billion	Pay to make money/get job
5	Search Listing Scams	1.1 billion	Pay to keep search position
6	Home-Related Scams	908 million	Scam payments
7	Travel Scams	848 million	Identify theft/scam payments
8	Tax Scams	783 million	Scam payments
9	Business-Related Scams	753 million	Scam payments/identify theft
10	Warranty Scams	679 million	Scam payments

How to avoid this scam

• Don't answer or return any calls from numbers you don't recognize.
• Before calling unfamiliar numbers, check to see if the area code is international.
• If you do not make international calls, ask your phone company to block outgoing international calls on your line.
• Always be cautious, even if a number appears authentic.

FCC Warning   (In Español | 繁體中文 | Tagalog | Tiếng Việt | 한국어 )

For illegal robocallers, the goal isn't always getting you to answer. Sometimes, it's getting you to call back.

Every so often, your phone may ring once and then stop. If that happens to you, and you do not recognize the number, do not return the call. You may be the target of a "one-ring" phone scam.

One-ring calls may appear to be from phone numbers somewhere in the United States, including three initial digits that resemble U.S. area codes. But savvy scammers often use international numbers from regions that also begin with three-digit codes – for example, "649" goes to the Turks and Caicos and "809" goes to the Dominican Republic. Such scammers may often use spoofing techniques, as well, to further mask the number in your caller ID display.

If you call any such number, you risk being connected to a phone number outside the U.S. As a result, you may wind up being charged a fee for connecting, along with significant per-minute fees for as long as they can keep you on the phone. These charges may show up on your bill as premium services.

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.

How to avoid this scam

• Don't answer or return any calls from numbers you don't recognize.
• Before calling unfamiliar numbers, check to see if the area code is international.
• If you do not make international calls, ask your phone company to block outgoing international calls on your line.
• Always be cautious, even if a number appears authentic.

Filing a complaint with the FCC

If you are billed for a call you made as a result of this scam, first try to resolve the matter with your telephone company. If you are unable to resolve it directly, you can file a complaint with the FCC at not cost.

Filing a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission

If you feel that you are a victim of an international phone scam, you can file a complaint with the FTC.

Print Out

'One Ring' Phone Scam (pdf)

Date Last Updated/Reviewed: 

Thursday, May 2, 2019

Bureau/Office: 

Consumer and Governmental Affairs

Tags: 

Consumers - Fraud - International - Scams - Spoofing - Telephone Consumer Issues