Wangiri Fraud

Wangiri, Japanese for "one ring and cut," is a phone fraud technique where an automated system places large volumes of calls that ring once before disconnecting, deliberately leaving a missed call notification on the recipient's phone. The call typically comes from an international number designed to look plausible, and curiosity or concern about a missed call prompts many recipients to call back. The return call connects to a premium-rate number that charges a very high per-minute rate, with the fraudster receiving a share of the revenue generated by the call, and the scammer often keeps the recipient on the line as long as possible using recorded messages, hold music, or a fake survey to maximize billed minutes.

Wangiri campaigns can also target businesses via automated systems that call employee extensions to generate callbacks, and modern variants have expanded into WhatsApp and messaging app equivalents, where a single missed call or message invites a callback to a costly international number.

Recipients should avoid calling back unknown international numbers that show only a single missed ring, check the country code before dialing back, and use their carrier's premium-rate call-blocking features where available.