FCC warns of Wangiri telecom fraud scams

The FCC issued a consumer alert in response to a reported wave of Wangiri scam robocalls. These calls ring once, then hang up. The scammer hopes that the called party will return the call. The return call would go to a high-cost number with charges billed to the victim.

Wangiri attack profile

The recent wave of Wangiri calls are using country code 222, which is assigned to Mauritania, in West Africa. The calls have been targeting consumers in New York and Arizona.

The attack profile involves calling repeatedly in the middle of the night to provoke irate consumers to call back and incur high telephone charges.

The FCC Consumer Alert offers these suggestions:

• Don’t answer calls from numbers you don’t recognize, especially international calls.
• File a complaint with the FCC if you receive Wangiri calls.
• If you never make international calls, you might arrange with your phone company to block international calls from your number.
• Check your phone bill for charges you don’t recognize.

TransNexus Wangiri protection solutions

Our SIP Analytics telecom fraud prevention software is able to detect and block Wangiri attack profiles. Telecom service providers can monitor inbound calls and either block suspected Wangiri calls or divert. Once an action is triggered, the attack can be blocked for a configurable period of time.

Contact us today for more information on how we can protect your subscribers and users from telecom fraud attacks.