About Wangiri Summoning
Source: admin Release Time: 00:06:24 2019-03-21
Three is issuing guidance to customers about the Wangiri call scam that is targeted at mobile phone users across the UK, in the wake of a surge of enquiries on the matter.
Wangiri (literally translated as ‘one ring and cut’ in Japanese, where it first originated) is a scam that involves a fraudster calling a mobile phone number at random, hanging up after one or two rings, and therefore encouraging the recipient to call the number back. These numbers are often from an automated system resulting in a dramatic increase in such calls. They are also internationally-based meaning a customer could receive a charge for returning the call. As a network, Three has continually taken a proactive approach – taking the necessary measures to protect and maintain security on its network, by, for example, proactively looking for patterns to Wangiri, and taking action to protect its customers, where possible. As part of this approach, Three is alerting customers to take the following action if they receive an unexpected call from an unknown international number to avoid falling victim to the scam: Do not answer the phone Do not call the number back Never share any personal information Customers can also report numbers to Three that they believe to be suspicious, to allow us to investigate. Alex Ammoune, Lead Fraud Risk Specialist at Three, said: “At Three we take fraud like this extremely seriously and we ask our customers to stay extra vigilant when it comes to receiving calls from international numbers.” Simon Dukes, Chief Executive of Cifas, the UK’s fraud prevention service, said: “Fraud and cybercrime is now the number one crime threat in the UK and we must all be aware of the steps we need to take to keep ourselves safe. Always besuspicious of unexpected calls and never share any personal information with people you don’t know or trust.”