Vietnamese police warn of phone scams using missed calls

Police in Vietnam, specifically the Ca Mau Provincial Police, have issued a warning regarding a scam involving short-duration missed calls from specific prefixes, including 022, 024, and 028. These calls typically ring for only about three seconds, leaving only a missed call notification.

Authorities state these tactics are used to scan and verify active phone numbers. Once a user answers or calls back, scammers can record voice data to analyze age, gender, and alertness levels to categorize potential victims. This collected data may be sold to third parties or used for targeted fraudulent schemes.

Risks include high call charges, identity theft, and the use of voice recordings for sophisticated impersonation scams. Police recommend that citizens do not return calls from unknown numbers, especially those starting with a “+” sign, and advise blocking such numbers and reporting them to network providers.