HAVE you ever received a strange call from an unknown number with a country code outside Kenya? If the answer to this question is yes, chances are you were a target of international mobile phone fraud.
Safaricom Manager of International Voice Mr Thomas Bwaley. Speaking in a Facebook video, he told customers to exercise caution when dealing with strange phone numbers. Since they are premium rated calls, it is best not to return such calls to avoid losing money from such costly ventures./Courtesy
The flashing by use of international phone numbers is known as Wangiri fraud. It is done through missed calls.
Safaricom Manager-International Voice Mr Thomas Bwaley said the best remedy for such callers is that do not return them. He further explained that such callers operate on premium rates where a single phone call per minute can cost as high as KES500.
“Wangiri is a Japanese word meaning one ring and cut. That is why in Wangiri you find missed calls of a number that is international”, he told netizens.
In a video posted on Safaricom’s Facebook page yesterday, the manager explained that at first, the caller flashes your phone number. Flashing is where a caller terminates a call before it is picked. He said the aim of the caller is to have the person flashed to call back.
The International Voice Manager added that the callers trick mobile phone users in large numbers. It is a broadcast method of making flash calls. “They do not target just one individual but they do a global broadcasted missed call”, he explained.
The fraudsters make money by having the unsuspecting receivers of missed calls return the calls. That is why it is important to ignore the missed call.
The international fraudsters increase their tricks once you call them back by making you wait for their response as they play other appealing sounds such as music in in the background, he said. Their aim here is to delay you a little bit more as they make money from you without your knowledge.
According to the Communication Authority’s latest report on mobile phone subscription, Kenya is a big market for fraudsters since it has over 65 million registered phone numbers. This makes them possible targets of Wangiri fraud.
Both the customer and mobile network operator lose money when Wangiri scam goes on.
“The best way to protect yourself from the Wangiri fraud is to never call back strange numbers”, advised Safaricom, the most profitable company in East and Central Africa.
Repetitive Wangiri callers can be reported by sending the number to 333, says Thomas Bwaley. It is free of charge.
STORY By MUSYOKA NGUI
MWINGI TIMES for timely and authoritative news.
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