Beware: "One Ring" Phone Scam

If you notice a missed call from an unknown number, especially one from out of the area, think twice before calling back. This "one ring" scam is a ploy to get curious folk to call the number back, a return phone call that could cost users $19.95 or more on their next cell phone bill. So if you have any missed phone calls from Caribbean areas like Antigua, the British Virgin Islands, or the Dominican Republic, from area codes like 473, 809, 876, 284 and 268, make sure you do not call back. That's the whole scam -- a one ring phone call, and a curious person returning the call and getting charged. This isn't the first time this has happened -- the Better Business Bureau is reporting this scam was prevalent and successful ten years ago -- this time around, with more informed citizens, they are hoping this scam-paign is far less successful.

"So you call back that number and that routes you into either an international chat line or even an adult entertainment line we've heard," said Dan Hendrickson of the Better Business Bureau. 

If you've received a strange phone call, make sure curiosity doesn't get the best of you. To be careful, check your cell phone bill to ensure there have been no faulty charges. And if there is one of those out of area numbers in your call log, delete it to ensure there are no accidental dials that cost you $20. Make sure you tell your friends and family about this scam -- don't allow others to fall prey to offshore crooks looking to make a quick buck from unknowing Minnesotans.   Photos via: Google