Calls that ring once and hang up: the wangiri scam

Calls that ring once and hang up: the wangiri scam

Your phone rings once, you glance at the screen and the call has already ended. The number is unknown, sometimes with a strange country code you don't recognise. Your first instinct is to call back: what if it was something important? That instinct is exactly what the person on the other end is after. It's the missed-call scam, known as wangiri (Japanese for "one ring and cut"), and it's worked for years because it exploits the most basic curiosity.

How wangiri works

The mechanics are simple, which is why they work:

1. An automated system calls thousands of numbers and hangs up after one or two rings, before you can answer.
2. You see a missed call from a number you don't know. Many of these numbers carry unusual international codes (+216 Tunisia, +234 Nigeria, +355 Albania, +675 Papua New Guinea...).
3. If you call back, you're connected to a premium-rate or high-cost international number: recordings designed to keep you on the line as long as possible (surveys, prizes, recorded messages) while the meter runs.
4. The per-minute cost is high and part of it goes to the scammer. The bill arrives weeks later, when there's little left that's easy to claim back.

There's a variant that isn't after the call cost but confirming your number: by calling back, you show that your line is active and that a real person responds, and your number becomes more valuable on the lists sold to telemarketers and scammers. It's the same goal as silent calls, except here you're the one making contact.

The signs that give it away

• One ring, then nothing. Genuine callers let it ring; wangiri needs you NOT to answer, so it hangs up on purpose.
• An unfamiliar international code. Australian numbers start with +61 (or 0 when dialled within Australia). If you're not expecting calls from overseas, a code you don't recognise is reason enough not to call back.
• Odd hours. Many batches go out in the small hours or first thing in the morning, when you're least likely to answer and most likely to see a missed call when you wake up.
• Waves of repeats. If you get several similar missed calls within a few days, it's an active campaign, not a coincidence. Check the spam numbers directory to see which numbers other people are reporting.

What to do (and not do) about a suspicious missed call

The right response fits in three steps:

1. Don't call back. If it mattered, they'd call again or leave a message. No bank, government agency or reputable business works by ringing once and hanging up.
2. Check the number before doing anything. Look it up in the spam numbers directory: wangiri reuses numbers for days, and usually dozens of people have already reported it, with the country code and the trick identified.
3. Block and report. If you confirm it's wangiri, your report turns your missed call into a warning for the next person.

And what not to do: don't call "just to see who it was", not even for a minute. A minute on a premium-rate or high-cost international number is enough to cost you, and the recording is designed to stop you hanging up straight away. The same caution applies to local premium-rate numbers starting with 19 (such as 1900).

Can I be charged for a call I didn't answer?

No. While you're in Australia, receiving a call and not answering it doesn't cost you anything, wherever it comes from. The wangiri risk is only in calling back. Likewise, answering one of these calls doesn't cost you anything either (the caller pays); the danger starts if they ask you to call another number "to continue". That's the same trap with an extra step.

Quick questions

What if I've already called back without realising? Hang up as soon as you suspect something, check how long the call lasted and contact your phone provider (Telstra, Optus, Vodafone or whoever you're with) to ask about the cost and about barring international or premium-rate calls on your service. If you've already been charged, complain in writing, though a refund isn't guaranteed. If your provider doesn't help, you can take it to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO).

Does blocking the number help? Against that particular number, yes. But campaigns rotate numbers, so blocking only goes so far: the real protection is the habit of never returning unknown missed calls with odd country codes.

Does this only happen on mobiles? No, it reaches landlines too, especially in the afternoon. If older people at home use a landline, it's worth leaving a note by the phone: "missed call from a strange number = don't call back". There's more scam-prevention advice on our blog.

If you've had one of these missed calls, look it up in NoCall's spam numbers directory and report it: every report helps the next person who sees that number on their screen know not to call back. For more on spotting and reporting scams, see Telstra's guide to scams.