What is wangiri: the missed call that charges you back
A missed call from a foreign number you do not know. You politely call back… and an expensive meter starts running. Wangiri (“call and cut” in Japanese) is exactly that: a deliberate missed call from a premium-rate line. The NoCall community has gathered more than 0 reports about these numbers.
How wangiri works
Automated systems leave thousands of missed calls from premium-rate international numbers. Whoever calls back hears music or messages that keep them on the line while the carrier shares the revenue with the line owner: the scammer. It is the international cousin of calls that hang up instantly.
How to recognise it
- Rings once or twice, then hangs up — nobody is ever on the other end, because they do not want to talk: they want you to call.
- Unknown international prefix — if you are not expecting calls from abroad, any international missed call is suspicious.
- It repeats — sometimes the same missed call arrives several times a day from similar numbers.
Do not call back
Calling back is exactly what the scam wants. If the call were important, the caller would try again or leave a message.
Look the number up in NoCall’s database of more than 54,562 numbers before returning any international missed call: if other users already reported it as wangiri, you have your answer.
If you already called back
Hang up as soon as possible to stop the charge and check your bill with your carrier: some waive or reduce it if you complain promptly. Block the number, turn on your phone’s spam filter, and report it on NoCall so others do not fall for it. And if the call asked for data or payments, also see what vishing is.