FCC warns consumers about one-ring call scam

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is warning consumers about a recent wave of robocall scams in which a user’s phone rings once before the caller hangs up.

The agency issued a warning last week about the “One Ring” or “Wangiri” calls, urging those targeted by the scam not to call the numbers back.

“These calls are likely trying to prompt consumers to call the number back, often resulting in per minute toll charges similar to a 900 number,” the FCC said. “Consumers should not call these numbers back.”

{mosads}The robocaller may dial a consumer’s number repeatedly and hope the target calls back, the FCC said.

The FCC said the recent wave of calls appeared to be using the “222” country code of Mauritania in West Africa. Recent calls have been targeted at consumers in New York state and Arizona, the agency said.

The FCC in February issued a report that found U.S. phones were hit by 48 billion robocalls last year. The report predicted that almost 50 percent of all calls made to U.S. cellphones this year will be spam.

Lawmakers have attempted to combat the surge in robocalls.

Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) reintroduced legislation earlier this year called the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act, which would give the federal government the authority to slap offenders with fines of up to $10,000 per call.