The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has warned Kenyans not to call back any international numbers they don’t recognize. Announcing the return of the Wangiri scam, the CA has urged Kenyans to take precautions.
In a press release, the CA noted that most of the Wangiri Scam calls reported in Kenya emanate from the codes: +51 (Peru), and +64 (New Zealand), among others. Furthermore, these numbers are illegally purchased from the Dark Web, making it difficult to trace them
First, the communication authority urges Kenyans to avoid unknown numbers. Secondly, it has informed those who are already victims to report the numbers to their service provider. Ideally, reporting the number will have them blocked by Telcos, protecting other innocent Kenyans from falling prey.
What’s the Wangiri Scam?
Wangiri Scam originates from Japan. It translates to “one ring and cut”. Scammers dial a number and quickly hang up. Consequently, the unsuspecting victim calls back thinking it’s urgent, the call is redirected to premium numbers that drain the victims credit.
During scam calls, users are made to listen to a recorded message so as to keep the caller connected. Hence, the more a user stays online the more money they are fleeced.
Nevertheless, the CA through National Kenya Computer Incident Response Team is working with different actors to bring the situation under control.
In the meantime, Kenyans are urged to follow the directives of the authority and to remain vigilant.
