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A while back, we warned you about the “one ring” scam. That’s when you get a phone call from a number you don’t know, and the call stops after just one ring. The scammer is hoping you’ll call back, because it’s really an international toll number and will appear as a charge on your phone bill — with most of the money going to the scammer. Well, the scam is back with a vengeance, and the FCC just issued a new advisory about it. Read the FCC’s advisory for more detail, but the advice from both agencies remains the same if you get one of these calls:

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Unwanted Calls, Emails, and Texts
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Phone Scams

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The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. We review all comments before they are posted, and we won’t post comments that don’t comply with our commenting policy. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect.

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Ifnotnow_when_
May 07, 2019
Most of us have prepaid cell phone plans, which this information does not apply to.
Dbeverly0807
May 29, 2019

In reply to by Ifnotnow_when_

Who is this “most of us” about whom you speak? This info is very useful for those who still use <> landline phones OR who choose not to have a data plan on their cell phones.
walter
May 07, 2019
Call comes in claiming I am owed refund. leaves call back number to claim refund. no answer. Scam???
Wise Girl Barb
June 21, 2019

In reply to by walter

YES, big scam. The IRS does not make phone calls. If you were due a refund, they would send you a letter with a check enclosed. Do not call them back.
Dot
May 07, 2019
I have both my cell and my landline on the DO NOT CALL LIST but I continue to get phone calls, what else can be done. I have tried blocking them but some of these places have more than 4 numbers.
Shelly
May 11, 2019

In reply to by Dot

I added a call-blocker App to my mobile, and my phone will only ring if I have the person's number listed in the contact list on my phone. It's too bad it has come to this, but I get approximately 8 calls per day from solicitors, and I don't have time to file a complaint for every single call or instance. I wish there were stiffer penalties, or more we could do as consumers to stop this.
Handholder
November 08, 2019

In reply to by Shelly

I'm with you 100%. I'm all for what you're doing. I owe nothing to these creeps. Friends and family are already listed. My phone also has a new 'screening app' built into the phone. It answers the call asking what the caller wants. Has stopped 100% of robocalls which just hangup. Perfect!
ggl
August 31, 2019

In reply to by Dot

Scammers don't care about the no call list, they either are calling from a foreign country, of "spoof" the caller ID, that is, the number shown in caller ID is not really the number to their phone. They can't be found that way.
Angela
October 08, 2019

In reply to by Dot

On my phone settings it gives an option to block calls using a filter. Let's say the number is 213-555-0000, you can use the filter 213-555 to stop any calls that come from any iterations of that number. T-Mobile is my carrier, so I'm not sure if your carrier has this option. Hope it helps.
Jomarie76
May 07, 2019
And remember Microsoft and Windows do not call you,hang up it is a scam
W²
May 07, 2019
re the 2nd bullet "Report the robocall": In your own life, be sure of making your calls. I have seen (and done it myself) caller get "interrupted" and hang up before a call is answered. That may now cause your intended(aborted) callee to put your number on a scammers list. It seems to me that government support of phone company shutting down the WHOLE robocall racket would be better than all the blocked numbers and call lists that are NOT WORKING.
PokoBono
May 25, 2019

In reply to by W²

How do you propose to accomplish that? Most of these calls aren't actually from the number on your caller ID, and most also aren't in the country which puts them well beyond the reach of the FTC.
MM
June 05, 2019

In reply to by PokoBono

Then how do they know who to bill on a collect call
Tomajj
June 12, 2019

In reply to by MM

June 12, 2019, 9:24am central. Phone rang, 4 rings, no voicemail. Phone shows wireless caller (as name), no phone #.
bite me
May 07, 2019
there is a new scam going on. the person says they are from the U.S. tresuary dept. they say a $9,000.00 grant is being sent to walmart or western union to the persons name. just have to pay $250.00 to get it. for one thing, the gov does NOT send grants through western union,or walmart.
Kitsune56
June 30, 2019

In reply to by bite me

The grant calls are still out there. They will give you a number to call when you get to Walamart and a confirmation number to give the person you call. They never say how much just a "substantial" amount you don't have to repay. The one I keep getting is on a private number and I can't block it. They also have never asked for money but it is still a scam and they know how to get your information. If anyone you know has a private number come up when they call ask them to text you first so you know you can answer the call.
tpo
May 07, 2019
It would help if you told how to identify such a number.
JiKiFREAJ
May 23, 2019

In reply to by tpo

They use phone spoofing apps and software. You can block all you want but they'll just use a different one each time.
Bigdog
May 07, 2019
I put every person, business or what ever that I do business with or carry on a conversation in my phone so the name will show up. If you call me and your name does not show up I will not answer. Not saying sooner or later they might get me but this has kept me safe so far....Just don't let your curiosity get you in trouble. I assume that if your name does not show up, it is a scam!
kitkat
May 24, 2019

In reply to by Bigdog

Bigdog -- I do the same thing. I figure if it's someone that knows me and I don't have them in my contacts, they'll leave a message.
brireese
July 19, 2019

In reply to by Bigdog

Well that’s not an option for the parents out there. My son loses his cell phone all of the time and will borrow one of his buddies phones to get ahold of me. He has even borrowed a teachers cell before. Either way.. in my opinion it is dangerous to only allow numbers programmed in your phone to call! There is always a possibility that your child could need you but is unable to get ahold of you! I just couldn’t live like that.
teecee
August 21, 2019

In reply to by brireese

Thats exactly right> I feel the same way. I answer every call because I never know when my girls phone's are dead...if they are in trouble....anything can happen out there. I totally agree with you.
Sara
September 17, 2019

In reply to by brireese

That's why they should leave a voicemail or text. Letting the person know who is calling from an unknown number.
Kdunphy
May 07, 2019
I have received several of those calls from country code 232 in the past few days. I also received at least 2 calls from country code 370-Lithuania in the past week or so. All part of the same scam?
VtaCntyGirl
May 07, 2019
How would that fraudulent scam number appear on Caller ID? Would it show as an international calling number, or spoofing a "local" number?
Sleuth
May 14, 2019

In reply to by VtaCntyGirl

You don't know. It's pretty hard nowadays. They even have a way now to where their number shows up as a gov't number or a legitimate company. My recommendation is if you don't recognize the number, let it go to voicemail. Listen to the message and if they say they're from a certain company, Google the company and the number and call that number to confirm if the call is legitimate.
HrdKorHol
September 06, 2019

In reply to by VtaCntyGirl

I actually had a call come up on my caller ID once as "Scam"... I didn't answer because I was busy, but I love answering and reporting these criminals. But usually it just comes up as a number and no name or anonymous.
bostonhollyandsnoop
May 07, 2019
This happens to me all day every day and had done for years. From my understanding only cell phones have any protections from govt agencies and stopping services such as nomorobo I have up answering my phones 10 years ago. Verizon raises rates annually, cuts services monthly and I can't answer my 2 lines.
DeeGee
May 07, 2019
Thanks John. These info-messages are valuable, especially on the scams! Deloris
Seismic1
May 07, 2019
This scams appears easy to police. The phone provider obviously isn't incentivized not to be complicit.
Nlivelyangel
May 08, 2019
I get 3 to 4 calls on my cell phone, everyday!! With numbers that I don't recognize? So I block them??
kathyt123
May 15, 2019

In reply to by Nlivelyangel

i do and it has cut down the calls alot! but beware if you block one number they will use a different one
Beta
May 08, 2019
We have NoMoRobo set up on our phones. When a call comes in that is in their database, the phone rings once. But we never call the number to verify it. If it is in their database, it is a scam.
Informed now
May 08, 2019
Thank you for this info. I get these one ring calls often. They usually have the same area code and prefix of the area I live in. I've never called one of them back. Now I know I need to report these calls as well as blocking them.
jerseyjoe
May 08, 2019
If you don't recognize the number, if they don't leave a voicemail, it's a junk call. If it WAS important, they would have left a message. Sign up ( for free on landlines ) at Nomorobo. I did and it cut out at least 90% of spam calls.
comment
May 08, 2019
Thanks again. These one-ring calls were a curiosity but seemed unimportant. At least the thieves behind them are revealed. Is the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) a toothless paper tiger?
Concerned Callee
May 08, 2019
The past two days have had robocalls from Focus on the Family. Is this organization soliciting funds by phone?
Dosmo
September 07, 2019

In reply to by Concerned Callee

Don't think they call you, if you have not contacted them for some reason. Ignore the call. It is not like them to robocall.
JME
May 09, 2019
I don't answer any calls from a number I don't know. If they leave a msg, maybe I will, just depends.
SaMayee
May 10, 2019
I just got a cell message from a robo call said that there are legal enforcement actions filed against me and my social security number was suspected for fraudulent activities. Call 806-319-7162. Social security department agent was waiting for my call back. SCAM and liars!
Giacomina
May 11, 2019
Or cell phones are prvately paid. So we are paying for private numbers. Why is our government allowing these calls to be made. Answer: simple greed So another right down the drain
Barbara
May 12, 2019
The latest one is calls coming in with your name and phone number shown, I guess they hope you will answer it just out of curiosity or just see the name thinking your spouse is calling without looking at the phone number. I am getting at least 6-8 every day in the last 3 days.
Bruce
May 13, 2019
What really irritates me is that the phone companies have the technology to prevent all of these issues. Now they want to charge us additional money if we don’t want these fraudulent and annoying calls. Why doesn’t the FTC/GOV mandate this as a part of consumer protection?
Answerman
May 14, 2019
Thanks to the FTC for bringing this important matter to the Consumers attention. A ounce of prevention is a pound of knowledge.
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