FCC Warns About 'One Ring' Robocall Scam Seeking Callbacks To a Toll Number

'Don't return that middle-of-the-night phone call if your cell phone only rang once,' warns the New York Daily News:

The Federal Communications Commission on Friday alerted consumers about a wave of 'One Ring' robocalls after detecting 'widespread overnight calling' in both New York and Arizona. The scam calls, also known as 'Wangiri' -- which is Japanese for 'one ring and drop' -- are an attempt to trick customers into phoning the number back. If you do, it can result in getting billed toll charges as though you called a 900 number... 'They may call repeatedly, hoping the consumer calls back and runs up a toll that is largely paid to the scammer,' the FCC said in a press release.

According to the FCC the callers are using the '222' country code of Mauritania, a nation in West Africa, to carry out their scheme. In addition to not returning the phone call, officials encouraged people against calling back numbers they don't recognize -- especially if they appear to be international.

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