An expert reveals how `wangiri` calls exploit curiosity, urging victims to call back and incur hefty charges.
The primary objective of `wangiri` or drop call scams is to exploit a victim`s curiosity and concern, enticing them to dial back an unknown number. This often leads to premium-rate charges, enriching the scammers. Igor Bederov, director of investigations at T.Hunter, highlighted this significant risk in a recent discussion.
Bederov explained that fraudsters might deliberately keep victims on the line for extended periods with background music or recorded messages to accumulate maximum charges. Furthermore, these deceptive drop calls serve other malicious purposes, such as verifying the activity of phone number databases or bypassing anti-scamming security measures designed to protect against telemarketing fraud.
The expert emphasized that the most effective defense against such schemes is to ignore missed calls from unfamiliar numbers entirely. Alternatively, utilizing a voice assistant service for screening incoming calls can help filter out suspicious activity and prevent potential financial loss.
In a related incident, underscoring the extreme persistence of these criminals, a particularly relentless phone scammer reportedly attempted to reach a victim over 17,000 times. This aggressive assault on a Beeline subscriber in Dagestan lasted more than eight hours, averaging an astonishing 36 calls per minute, demonstrating the lengths to which these fraudsters will go to achieve their illicit goals.
