FCC Says Consumers Shouldn’t Return One Ring Robocalls

Robocalls have been named in numerous consumer complaints in recent years due to their disruptive nature and the fact that they  sometimes violate the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). Every few months, consumers seem to notice new trends in automated or marketing calls or texts. The latest of these is one ring robocalls.

What is a One Ring Robocall?

According to USA Today, this scam takes place after midnight. A consumer’s phone rings just once. The purpose of this practice, according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC),  is to get the recipient to return the call, but the agency strongly discourages consumers from doing so.

According to reports filed by those who have been subjected to the practice, certain area codes get targeted one night at a time. The calls usually involve international country codes from places like Mauritania, the Detroit Free Press reports. The companies making these one ring robocalls will attempt different areas and place calls from different numbers to see what might spur a consumer to call back.

How Does the Scam Work?

The latest round of one ring robocalls have West African country codes and numbers. The company might place several one-ring calls in a row, confusing the consumer, who may ultimately return a call,  according to Gizmodo.

When a call is returned, a person, or a recording, might answer and try to keep the caller on the phone as long as possible. During this time, the consumer could be hit with high toll charges. A consumer might not even know the extent of the charges until the phone bill is received the following month. This practice of one ring robocalls is known as international revenue shared fraud.

What is International Revenue Share Fraud?

This fraudulent scheme involves scammers trying to generate phone calls to numbers with premium rates. Working together, some of the scammers get a kickback from that call. A Robocall index found that nearly five billion robocalls were made to residents of the U.S. in April alone.

What Can I Do If I Get a One Ring Robocall?

Don’t answer the phone or try to call the number back. The company generating the call may be a scam to get you to pay for the costly call. Anyone who has already received a call can file a complaint with the FCC. The federal agency is trying to publicize the extent of this scam to avoid more consumers from falling victim to unnecessary charges.

If you’re concerned that you or someone in your household might accidentally return the call, you can ask your cell phone carrier to block outgoing international calls until you tell them otherwise. Reports filed with the FCC provide the agency with insight into these scams, which could help snare the fraudsters.

Join a Free TCPA Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you were contacted on your cell phone by a company via an unsolicited text message (text spam) or prerecorded voice message (robocall), you may be eligible for compensation under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

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This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.