Recently, many people in localities, especially in Binh Phuoc province, have continuously received "scare" calls lasting only a few seconds from familiar numbers such as 022, 024, 028... Although not causing direct losses, this is the opening step for sophisticated scams, which can lead to loss of money, loss of personal information and continuous harassment afterwards.
Tricks pave the way for high-tech scams
According to a warning from the Department of Cyber Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention, Binh Phuoc Provincial Police, scammers often use the trick of calling people's phone numbers for about 3 seconds and then quickly hanging up. The main goal is to verify whether the phone number is still active or not, from there collect, classify personal data and plan the next scam.
Not only simply checking numbers, some automated calling systems also have the ability to recognize voices and extract through keywords, thereby estimating the age, gender or even the psychological reaction of the listener. This information can be sold to third parties, used to spread spam ads or create fake scenarios of authorities, banks... to appropriate users' assets.
In addition, if people call back strange numbers, especially numbers with a “+” sign at the beginning (usually international numbers), they may be charged very high fees or have their voice recorded by malware installed, the data can then be used to impersonate or make deepfake calls.
This form of fraud was very popular in the US and European countries in the past decade and is now returning, causing confusion for customers of network operators. This type of fraud has long been warned by domestic and international newspapers.
Ms. NTTH (residing in Tien Thanh Ward, Dong Xoai City) said that for nearly 2 weeks now, she has been continuously receiving calls from the numbers 024 and 023 in the form of "flashing" - the bell only rings for about 1-2 seconds and then turns off. The strange thing is that when she managed to pick up the phone, she heard the ringing sound, as if she was making a call, not receiving a call.
As someone who regularly updates the news, Ms. H. is well aware of phone scams, so she is always vigilant and refuses suspicious calls. However, this type of continuous "beeping" calls makes her feel confused.
"It's very annoying to be constantly bothered like this. Sometimes when I'm in a meeting or handling important work, the phone rings and then turns off immediately, or when I catch up, no one says anything. It keeps repeating like this. I wonder if this is a new scam?", Ms. H. shared.
Likewise, Mr. Tran Duc Quyen (residing in Tan Loi commune, Dong Phu district) also reported that he was often bothered by "blink" calls from strange numbers. "One day, I was called several times by numbers starting with 024 and 028.
The phone only rang briefly, and before I could answer it, they hung up. I suspected that this was a scam number, so I didn't call back, just blocked the number. But after blocking this number, they called from another number, which was very annoying and frustrating," Mr. Quyen shared.
How to protect yourself from suspicious calls
The Department of Information Security, Ministry of Information and Communications, recommends that currently, forms of fraud via social networks and the Internet are increasingly sophisticated, not only limited to the online environment but also expanding to phone calls with many unpredictable tricks.
Fraudsters often target the elderly, housewives or unemployed people - people who are gullible and tend to look for opportunities to make quick money. Therefore, they easily follow the instructions of the scammers and accidentally become victims.
To protect yourself from scam calls, expert Do Van Thinh, Director of CMC Cyber Security Operations Center (CMC Cyber Security Company, CMC Technology Group), advises users in Vietnam to take the following measures:
- Users do not listen to or call back strange phone numbers, especially international numbers of unknown origin.
- You can register for spam call blocking services from network operators.
- Do not provide personal information over the phone, even if the person on the other end claims to be a bank employee, police officer or government agency.
- Contact the authorities directly if you receive a fake call to verify the information.
- Report fraudulent phone numbers to the Ministry of Information and Communications hotline via 156 or on the website chongthurac.vn.
Users can also install the Truecaller app on the Play Store or App Store to check whether the call is authenticated or not, although whether to pick up the phone to avoid the risk of fraud.
Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/su-that-phia-sau-nhung-cuoc-goi-nha-may-tu-dau-so-022-024-028-post1552250.html
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