Identify And Prevent One-Ring Call Scams

Caregivers, Common Scams, Eldercare, Prevent Phone Fraud, Scams Targeting Baby Boomers

Scam alert message on red phone
Do you get phone calls that ring once, but stop ringing or hang up before you can answer? Do you sometimes feel bad about missing such calls? Don’t call back! It could be a One-Ring phone call scam.

This article describes common one-ring call scams and lists steps you can take to protect yourself and your loved ones from financial harm.

What Are One-Ring Call Scams?

One-ring call scams are a confidence game. They rely on the fact that many people will return missed calls due to a sense of politeness or guilt or a fear of missing out.

There are several varieties of one-ring phone call scams, but they all start in a similar way. One-ring call scams start when a scammer places a call to an unsuspecting person. Sometimes the scammer will hang up before the unsuspecting person can answer. Other times the unsuspecting person is able to answer with a polite ‘hello’ but then the scammer will quickly hang up without saying a word. Either way, the scammer has just laid a trap by causing a missed call. The scam can only continue if the unsuspecting person calls the number back. If the unsuspecting person returns the missed call, they might encounter one of the following common scams…

Plea For Information Scams and Plea For Money Scams

These one-ring call scams prey on unsuspecting people who tend to trust somebody who first contacted them ‘personally.’ In these scams, an unsuspecting person will return the missed call and ask why they were called. At that point, scammers start a conversation with the targeted person and follow a storyline to build a level of trust. Once the scammer has established enough trust, the scammer starts victimizing the unsuspecting person.

Sometimes scammers pry out personal information that they can use or sell later as a way to hack into accounts. Sometimes scammers ask for direct money transfers. For example, AARP notes that Grandparent Scams continue to cause widespread financial harm.

Unfortunately, scammers tell countless different stories and can be quite convincing. For example, one of our colleagues knows a well respected Harvard PhD economist who fell for a one-ring phone scam. In that case, a scammer claimed to be from the bank and asked for help to track down suspicious account activity. At some point, the scammer convinced the unsuspecting person to share personally identifying information. Then the scammer used that information to withdraw well over $6,000. Unfortunately, there was no way to recover the loss.

Premium Rate Number Scams and International Fee Scams

This type of one-ring call scam relies on the fact that a caller must pay extra fees to reach certain phone numbers. This scam only requires that the unsuspecting person dial the missed call from their Caller ID. In this scam, scammers typically collect per-minute payment for every minute they keep the unsuspecting person on the line. This hurts the unsuspecting person when their next phone bill arrives with unwanted charges.

This kind of scam was reported as early as 2014 and continued strongly enough that the FTC issued an additional advisory several years later. These scam calls often originate from specific area codes including: 222, 232, 268, 284, 473, 664, 649, 767, 809, 829, 849 and 876. They continue to this day despite ongoing industry actions.

How Can I Protect Myself or My Loved-One from One-Ring Call Scams?

  1. Never call back a phone number you do not recognize.
  2. Ask your phone provider to block outgoing calls to international numbers to stop costly accidental calls.
  3. Learn how to spot different types of imposter scams before you’re targeted.
  4. Use a call blocker service to prevent one-ring calls from untrusted callers. For example, sign up for teleCalm phone service to automatically prevent one-ring call scams and other kinds of unwanted calls. teleCalm is designed for caregivers and seniors who may be more susceptible to one-ring scams. teleCalm blocks scammers and offers many additional unique features which help seniors with Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

What Should I Do If I’ve Been Targeted By A One-Ring Call Scam?

  1. File an unwanted call or complaint with the FCC.
  2. Place a fraud report with the FTC.
  3. If you’ve incurred scam call charges on your phone bill, try to resolve them with your phone carrier.
  4. Report the incident to your bank and local police, especially if you’ve suffered a loss.
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