Airmen warned about scam
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --
Airmen at Travis are being warned about the "One-ring" phone scam happening to individuals across the country.
Perpetrators in the one-ring phone scam use auto-dialing computer programs to call phones. The scammers let the phone ring long enough that a missed called notification pops up.
The Better Business Bureau is warning individuals about calling back the number if you don't recognize it. Victims who call the number back are connected to a paid adult entertainment service located overseas. Those callers are charged a $19.95 international call fee up front, plus $9 or more per minute for the service.
The BBB said the scam calls usually come from outside the United States, including from numbers with area codes 268, 809, 876, 284 and 473. While area code 473 may appear to be domestic, it is not. This area code was created in the late 1990s for the islands of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique, which, like the United States, use country code 1. The BBB recommends that consumers ignore incoming or missed calls from out-of-state phone numbers that they don't recognize and carefully check cell phone bills.
Individuals are encouraged to use a search engine to look up the missed number before returning the call.
Currently, no agencies on base are handling any instances of the one-ring phone scam. However, there are options for victims. Travis Airmen who fall victim to this scam should visit the Internet Crime Complaint Center at http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx to file a complaint.
Airmen are reminded to continue proper identity protection and not answer or call the number back.
For more information, or to report the scam, visit http://1.usa.gov/LVk6Iv
Here is a list of (non-Canadian) area codes that are international and to be aware of:
242- Bahamas
441 - Bermuda
784 - St. Vincent & Grenadines
246 - Barbados
473 - Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique
809, 829, 849 - Dominican Republic
264 - Anguilla
649 - Turks and Caicos
868 - Trinidad and Tobago
268 - Antigua
664 - Montserrat
876 - Jamaica
284 - British Virgin Islands
758 - St Lucia
869 - St. Kitts & Nevis
345 - Cayman Islands
767 - Dominican
Perpetrators in the one-ring phone scam use auto-dialing computer programs to call phones. The scammers let the phone ring long enough that a missed called notification pops up.
The Better Business Bureau is warning individuals about calling back the number if you don't recognize it. Victims who call the number back are connected to a paid adult entertainment service located overseas. Those callers are charged a $19.95 international call fee up front, plus $9 or more per minute for the service.
The BBB said the scam calls usually come from outside the United States, including from numbers with area codes 268, 809, 876, 284 and 473. While area code 473 may appear to be domestic, it is not. This area code was created in the late 1990s for the islands of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique, which, like the United States, use country code 1. The BBB recommends that consumers ignore incoming or missed calls from out-of-state phone numbers that they don't recognize and carefully check cell phone bills.
Individuals are encouraged to use a search engine to look up the missed number before returning the call.
Currently, no agencies on base are handling any instances of the one-ring phone scam. However, there are options for victims. Travis Airmen who fall victim to this scam should visit the Internet Crime Complaint Center at http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx to file a complaint.
Airmen are reminded to continue proper identity protection and not answer or call the number back.
For more information, or to report the scam, visit http://1.usa.gov/LVk6Iv
Here is a list of (non-Canadian) area codes that are international and to be aware of:
242- Bahamas
441 - Bermuda
784 - St. Vincent & Grenadines
246 - Barbados
473 - Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique
809, 829, 849 - Dominican Republic
264 - Anguilla
649 - Turks and Caicos
868 - Trinidad and Tobago
268 - Antigua
664 - Montserrat
876 - Jamaica
284 - British Virgin Islands
758 - St Lucia
869 - St. Kitts & Nevis
345 - Cayman Islands
767 - Dominican
