There is a new wave of fraud with unknown international calls. How to protect yourself?

Fraudulent schemes through calls from international numbers are a well-known phenomenon and, in the middle of a pandemic, they have attacked again in force. Anacom reveals that it has become aware of a new wave of telephone fraud with unknown foreign numbers that has increased the number of complaints from consumers in recent weeks.

Victims receive international calls, with numbers beginning with 00 or + followed by the country code. They are purposely called one-touch, not giving time to those on the other side to answer them. If he answers or returns the call, the user risks losing his cell phone balance immediately, in the case of a prepaid tariff, or receiving an invoice with large amounts in a postpaid tariff.

Anacom clarifies in a statement that the fraudulent schemes are similar to those that followed in 2017. In the most recent case, the complaints received point to Tunisia, with the +216 or 00216 code, as the country of origin of the largest number of calls. However, there are calls originating, for example, in Arglia, Morocco, Congo and Tanznia.

The entity indicates that since the countries of origin and the numbers used vary, blocking them does not solve the problem. In addition, because it is not possible to distinguish a legitimate call from a fraudulent one, operators cannot prevent consumers from receiving international calls from a specific country.

What to do to avoid falling into the burles' trap

The best strategy to avoid falling into the burlesque scheme even if you do not answer or return calls from unknown international numbers, recommends Anacom. DECO is also monitoring the wave of scams over the phone after being notified by several consumers. Like the regulator, the association indicates that the best option is to ignore the calls in question.

But for many consumers with family members abroad or waiting for contacts from foreign companies to deal with business or job offers, it is difficult to simply answer international calls. Therefore, DECO recommends opting for email for messaging applications. Although they are not without risks, alternative communication channels can help to avoid falling into scams.

Anacom reports that, if it happened to answer or return an unknown international call and noted that it was charged astronomical values, it could complain to the authorities, since the practice of a crime may be at stake. DECO also recommends notifying your operator of this.