Notorious 'one-ring' scam targets many on Pakistan cellular networks.

KARACHI -- Citizens in Pakistan warned each other on social networking platforms and messaging apps after a notorious 'on-ring' resurfaced in the country last week. A number of citizens received phone calls from unknown international numbers, raising the alarm about 'Wangiri' or 'one-ring' scam. Wangiri, having originated in Japan, means "one ring and disconnect" and enables scammers to generate robocalls to hundreds of thousands of consumers mainly to mobile devices. It ends with a missed call notification on the receiving end, prompting the receiver to call back. The scam tricks these thousands of receivers into dialing an international number, and hence, being exposed to the risk of getting charged heavily for a connecting fee and significant per-minute charges.

After the calls did the rounds, scores of citizens circulated warnings and messages on social media and instant messaging apps. One such message forwarded on WhatsApp read: "Very Very Urgent ... Please pass this message to your family and friends NOW. People have been receiving calls from Tel: +375602605281 Tel: +37127913091 Tel: +37178565072 Tel: +56322553736 Tel: +37052529259 Tel: +255901130460 or any...