Your phone rings once and stops. The number looks like a normal one: three-digit area code, seven digits. So you call back, which is exactly what the caller wanted.
How it works
Several Caribbean countries share the +1 country code with the US and Canada, so their numbers look like ordinary long-distance numbers. Calls to area codes such as 876 (Jamaica), 809/829/849 (Dominican Republic), 473 (Grenada), 649 (Turks and Caicos) and 284 (British Virgin Islands) are billed as international.
Scammers lease premium-rate numbers in these places and place millions of one-ring calls. When people call back, the scammers get a share of the charges.
What to do
- Don’t call back numbers you don’t recognise, especially from the area codes above.
- Look the number up first. FreeSpy flags every Caribbean NANP area code automatically.
- If you never need international or premium calls, ask your carrier to block them.
- If you already called back, check your next bill and dispute any unexpected charges with your carrier.