According to Inc.com, a popular phone scam that goes by the names “473 Scam,” “Ring and Run Scam,” or “One Ring Scam,” is popping up.
There are three variations of the scam. In one version of the scam, criminals simply robocall numbers multiple times and hang up before anyone answers, hoping the recipient will call back. Another version involves the robocaller playing a recording of someone crying for help or the sounds of someone in need of medical attention and then they hang up. In the third version, the criminal texts a message similar to the voice recording described above.
In all of these cases, the criminal’s goal is to get you to call or text back. The phone numbers you will see on your caller ID are likely premium numbers and you will be charged for any calls or texts you make to them.
These scammers are using international area codes (+1 area codes), but they look like domestic area codes on a caller ID.
To determine if you are the victim of this scam, keep an eye on the area code shown on the caller ID.
Here are the current international area codes within the +1 country code:
242 — Bahamas
441 — Bermuda
784 — St. Vincent and Grenadines
246 — Barbados
473 — Grenada, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique
809, 829, and 849 — Dominican Republic
264 — Anguilla
649 — Turks and Caicos
868 — Trinidad and Tobago
268 — Antigua
664 — Montserrat
876 — Jamaica
284 — British Virgin Islands
721 — Sint Maarten
758 — St. Lucia
869 — St. Kitts and Nevis
345 — Cayman Islands
767 — Dominica
U.S. Territories’ area codes (listed by territory):
American Samoa — 684
Guam — 671
Northern Mariana Islands — 670
Puerto Rico — 787 and 939
U.S. Virgin Islands — 340
Canadian area codes (listed by province):
Alberta — 403, 587, and 780
British Columbia — 236, 250, 604, and 778
Manitoba — 204 and 431
New Brunswick — 506
Newfoundland — 709 (879 is being added in 2018)
Northwest Territories — 867
Nova Scotia — 902
Nunavut — 867
Ontario — 226, 249, 289, 343, 365, 416, 437, 519, 613, 647, 705, 807, and 905
Quebec — 418, 438, 450, 514, 579, 581, 819, and 873
Saskatchewan — 306 and 639
Yukon — 867
Nationwide — 600 (and possibly 622, 633, 644, 655, 677, and 688)
U.S.-Canada Numbers to Beware:
Area code — 900
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