Be careful when the phone rings!
Jason Weber, NCPS II, CPS
Crime prevention, community policing, media relations, training specialist
There have been a few phone scams floating around NE Wisconsin in the past month. Two of which - Chinese Phone Scam and One Ring Scam - have struck here at the college. The following information comes courtesy of the NWTC Help Desk.
What is the Chinese Phone Scam
Many other businesses and individuals across the country, are receiving robocalls on business phones in the Mandarin language. This was a big issue country-wide April 2018 and the FCC is seeing a spike in recent weeks. Telephone providers will try to block as many as possible for their customers but these numbers change on a frequent basis.
What is the One Ring Phone Scam
Every so often, your cell 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. 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 fake 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.
What does this really mean to you?
- Robocalls and phone scams are very similar to receiving an unexpected email and we recommend you follow these steps:
- 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.