In recent times a new phenomenon has also appeared in Italy, involving numerous citizens: Suspicious calls from numbers with the country code of Greece, +30 or 0030.
Unfortunately, it is just the umpteenth variant of a telephone scam that has already struck in the past using other foreign prefixes, such as those of France and the Netherlands. The technique is always the same, but unfortunately the effectiveness does not decrease, thanks to people’s curiosity and the apparent harmlessness of a simple call.
Let’s try to summarize how this mechanism works and how we can defend ourselves.
A proven mechanism that repeats itself cyclically
The scammers’ modus operandi follows well-established patterns. Those who answer these calls often find a synthetic voice on the other end, which presents itself as a telemarketing operator or as an employee of a non-existent company.
The goal is always the same: convince the victim that he can obtain special advantagesunmissable offers or unexpected prizes. In reality, behind these promises lies the intent to steal sensitive personal information or to induce the person to call paid numbers.
The main risk is therefore twofold.
On the one hand there is the possibility of suffering identity theftwith all the resulting consequences in terms of fraudulent use of your data. On the other hand, you may encounter other forms of online fraudranging from the drying up of telephone credit to unexpected costs on the bill.
Here, therefore, the experts’ recommendation is well justified: do not answer calls coming from the Greek area code, unless you have actual contact with people resident in Greece and are waiting for a phone call from them.
A phone scam with several profiles (and all are dangerous)
The scammers who organize these frauds use diversified strategies, adapting to the circumstances and exploiting the psychological weaknesses of potential victims.
One of the most widespread techniques is the one known by the Japanese term Wangiriwhich literally means “one ring and off we go“. The mechanism is simple and can be understood from its very name: the scammer makes a call that lasts only a few seconds, just long enough for a missed call to appear on the victim’s phone.
Curiosity does the rest. Many people, seeing a missed call from an unknown number, are led to call back to find out who it is. And it is precisely here that the trap is triggered: the number is connected to paid services with increased rates, and a few seconds of conversation are enough to generate high costs.
Another variant that is proving effective is that of fake winnings. The victim is contacted with the news that they have won a prize, a gift voucher or a sum of money. Of course, to collect the (non-existent) reward, you need to pay a small fee or click on a link to complete the online process. However, the link leads to malicious sites designed to steal personal data or install malware on your device.
No less dangerous is the strategy of psychological fear. In this case, the victim receives a communication that pretends to come from official bodies such as banks, post offices or telephone companies. The message is always characterized by a tone of urgency: you need to immediately pay an unpaid invoice, release a package stuck at customs or verify a suspicious transaction on your current account.
Urgency is specifically designed to reduce the victim’s reflection time, pushing him to act on impulse without verifying the authenticity of the request.
The most elaborate and sophisticated scams
So far, what we could define as “traditional” variants. Then they exist even more elaborate variationswhich require a greater investment of time on the part of scammers but which can be extremely profitable.
Among these we highlight the false job or investment opportunities, which have found widespread diffusion in Italy. The victim is contacted with seemingly advantageous offers: a well-paid remote job, a cryptocurrency investment with extraordinary returns, or business opportunities that seem too good to be true. And in fact they are not: behind these proposals hide requests for advance money for registration costs, or the systematic collection of personal information which will then be used for other fraudulent purposes.
We cannot fail to also mention the sentimental scamseven more insidious as they are able to exploit people’s emotional sphere.
In these cases, the scammer invests weeks or even months to establish an emotional relationship with the victim, usually through messaging platforms or social networks. Once the person’s trust has been gained, the criminal invents a personal emergency – a health problem, sudden financial difficulties, the need to pay for a trip to finally meet – and asks for financial help. Victims, emotionally involved, often give in without realizing that they have been manipulated.
How to protect yourself from old and new scams
The most effective protection against these scams is awareness and the adoption of prudent behaviours. The basic rule is simple: don’t answer unknown numbers with international prefixes, especially if you have no reason to expect calls from abroad. If you receive a ring that stops immediately, the temptation to call back out of curiosity must be resisted, because it is almost certainly a scam attempt using the Wangiri technique.
Particular attention should also be paid to messages received on platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram or other instant messaging services. If a message arrives from a number with an unknown foreign prefix, it is essential not to open any shared links and never provide personal information. The contact should be immediately blocked and reported to the platform using the appropriate reporting functions, so that the service can take action and protect other users as well.
Help yourself with technological defense tools
Modern technology also offers automatic protection tools. For example, most newer smartphones have anti-spam filters which can be activated in the settings. Of course, the systems are not foolproof and do not guarantee total protection, but they still help reduce the number of nuisance calls that actually reach the user. We also remember that some telephone operators offer specific services for identifying and blocking suspicious callswhich can be activated for free or for a fee.
It is important to remember that no bank, public body or serious company ever asks for sensitive information such as passwords, PIN codes or credit card information through an unsolicited phone call. If you receive a call of this type, even if the number appears to come from Italy, the best thing is to hang up and contact the relevant institution yourself through official channels to check if there was actually a need to get in touch.
