THIS IS HAPPENING IN MISSISSAUGA BUT SOME IN MARKHAM HAVE RECEIVED THESE TYPES OF CALL AS WELL- BEWARE
MAJOR PHONE scam affecting Mississauga; residents warned not to call back
by Jonah Shinuda on November 16, 2019
If you’ve recently been called by an unknown number that only rang once before hanging up, it’s likely you were targeted by an ongoing phone scam that’s affecting residents across the country.
The goal of this scam is to make residents call the number back out of curiosity — but in doing so, you’re hit with some undisclosed charges that get added onto your phone bill.
Numerous residents have reported receiving this kind of call, but it’s not just Canadians being targeted. The FCC has also made a statement regarding the scam.
“Every so often, your phone may ring once and then stop. If that happens to you, and you do not recognize the number, do not return the call. You may be the target of a “one-ring” phone scam,” the FCC says.
Part of what makes this scam work is caller ID spoofing, which is when a scam caller disguises their caller ID to make it appear more trustworthy (such as a number with your area code).
According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, it’s best not to trust your call display, because even if the call appears to be from an authentic source there’s a strong possibility it’s still a scam.
While scam calls have become very widespread overall, it appears there’s currently no easy way to block them as long as caller ID spoofing is a thing.
For more tips on how to protect yourself from scams and fraud, click here.