Have you been getting repeated missed calls from the same number lately? If you have and you made the decision to return the calls, you need to pay attention.
Twitter user @luxentX tweeted that he had received three WhatsApp missed calls from the same number. The number seems to be using a random woman's photo as the profile picture, perhaps to lure possible victims.
Have any of you gotten 3 missed whatsapp call? All calls ring only once. The profile pictures are ladies. Unknown number. Been getting a few of this weird calls. Wondering if this is some new scam tactics?
— Ooi Beng Cheang (@luxentX) May 2, 2023
️SCAM ALERT️For those of you who received these calls, report and block their number as spam. Make it harder for the spammer to register a new phone number. pic.twitter.com/JjhRaIIA6x
— Ooi Beng Cheang (@luxentX) May 2, 2023
His tweets gained quite a traction with a number of people coming forward telling they've received similar missed calls. What's unique about these missed calls is that all of them received exactly three missed calls from the same number with varying photos of women as their profile pictures.
What kind of scam is it?
This scam tactic actually has a name: the Wangiri missed call scams.
"Wangiri Calls" are a popular technique for making brief calls and leaving a missed call notification on people's phones. A fraudster will programme a computer to randomly dial a huge number of phone numbers. If the person contacts the number back, they will be transferred to a high-priced international number and charged for the expensive call.
In short, it's a phone scam when scammers lure you into contacting premium rate numbers.
Although there are no evidence to prove that these calls received by @luxentX and his audience are related to the Wangiri phone scams, it's best to be watchful nonetheless.
