There is a rumor message spreading across Facebook today and many of our Nepalese community opinion leaders sharing in their circle. The message states that people have been receiving calls from foreign suspicious numbers starting from +375, +371, +563, +370, +255 and +381 as a missed call. The message further warns that if you call back to those ‘‘one ring and Hang up’’ numbers you will be charged hefty fees something from $15 to $30.
Mid-Day published this photo along with a story on the topic on June 13, 2012, dateline from Mumbai.[divider style=”normal” top=”20″ bottom=”20″]
The message includes the line states, ‘they can copy your contact list in 3secs. If you have a bank or Credit Card details on your phone, they can copy that too’ the most fearsome for mobile phone users who keep their card details and personal information. We do this in our smartphone normally. Widely circulated message also provides information about the country of that ‘one ring & hang up’ call origin of those aforementioned suspicious numbers, +375 is from Belarus Afghanistan, +371 code for Latvia, +381 code for Serbia, +563 code for Valparaiso, +370 code for Vilnius and +255 code for Tanzania.
But, do not scare with the meaning of the circulated message, it’s not that risky as mentioned on circulated message. The truth of the message is quite different than what we have seen on Facebook sharing. The fact-check site Snopes says it greatly exaggerated rating it ‘mostly false’.
Fact Check site Snopes Collected the same message via the Internet in April 2016 and published fact behind the message on 2 June 2015. [divider style=”normal” top=”20″ bottom=”20″]
The event and warning for the ‘one ring & hang up’ call circulated today is not the new one. Snopes checked its fact based on the message and published the precision on 2 June 2015, says ‘Warnings of a ‘one-ring scam’ in which telephone customers return hang-up calls from foreign phone numbers and get charged hefty fees are greatly exaggerated.’ [ads1]
[divider style=”normal” top=”20″ bottom=”20″] Fact Check site Snopes finding
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In June 2012, the same message was floating in India over social media, was reads, “Guys, please take this very seriously. People have been receiving calls from a +375 number and disconnecting after a single ring. If you call back, it’s one of those numbers that you will be charged $15-30 and they will copy your contact list within three seconds and if you have your bank or credit card details, they will copy that too. Don’t pick up these calls.”
Mid-Day reported it quoting people who received such calls. Mid-Day has concluded its story with quoting Vijay Mukhi, an IT expert with the statement that says it’s impossible to copy someone’s contacts and card details from a phone call advising people to never call back to those numbers.[ads2]
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What is shared over Facebook Today
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If you think something you get on your phone, socials and email suspicious please refer to ScamWatch and Stay Smart Online.
