The phone scam that caught Australian mobile users off guard in 2018

The last 12 months have been great for raising the voice of the over-60s community at Starts at 60, something we feel strongly about doing. During the next few weeks we are celebrating the blogs that resonated with readers the most throughout the year. This blog is one of our Top 30 blogs for 2018.

After sweeping Ireland and New Zealand in recent years, this phone scam is permeating Australia. It’s simple, effective and could be very costly to you.

The scammers phone your mobile number from Slovenia, Liberia, Mauritania, Tonga, Vanuatu or Morocco (or somewhere else exotic) and hang up without giving you time to answer. Like most of us, you are curious to see who called you and you can’t resist the urge to call back. If you have a pre-paid number it is likely your monthly call credit will be drained. Got a post-paid? Be prepared for a very large bill. 

The scammers have set up a premium toll number, which charges you at an exorbitant rate, reportedly up to and sometimes exceeding $8 per minute! 

What can you do if you receive such a call? The steps are simple.

• Do not answer
• Block this caller
• Be wary of multiple calls being received from the same number
• Do not call back any number that leaves you a blank voicemail message
• Do not provide any personal information, for example banking details, Medicare number, credit card details, name, address, passport number, etc.
• If you are expecting an overseas call, Google the number to identify the country before calling back. 

This scam has been nicknamed ‘Wangiri’ which is a Japanese term meaning ‘wan’ for ‘one’ and ‘giri’ for ‘cut’. So, something like ‘one ring and cut’.

There are some Australian websites you can use to check the number. Numberlookup.com.au — it is a community driven site so it can provide information only if the community submits their experiences. There are also some apps you can install to help you set your own levels of security and block these callers in the future. Have a browse in your Google Play Store or iPhone App Store for ‘Who Called Me’. 

Are you confident you would be able to identify a scam phone call to your mobile? Have you been caught out in a scam before?

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