The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has announced the return of the Wangiri international callback scam, warning Kenyans against calling back any international numbers they don’t recognize.
The scam involves deceptive tactics to prompt mobile phone owners into returning the calls, at which point the fraudsters redirect them to premium rate numbers that deplete their airtime.
In an official statement, CA Director General Ezra Chiloba highlighted that a significant number of Wangiri Scam calls reported in Kenya originate from specific country codes such as +51 (Peru) and +64 (New Zealand), among others.
The CA further emphasized that these numbers are unlawfully acquired from the Dark Web, posing challenges in terms of tracing their origins.
“The longer the caller stays connected, the more money the scammers make. In such a case, post-paid subscribers are likely to be unaware because they receive their bills at the end of the month. The pre-paid subscribers can only lose as much as their loaded credit,” Chiloba said.
He further mentioned that in certain instances, the caller is made to listen to a prerecorded message that prolongs their connection.
Chiloba urged Kenyans to avoid unknown numbers and advised those who have fallen victim to report the numbers to their service provider.
