A number of Kenyans have on several occasions received phone calls or found missed calls from strange international numbers.

An article by Pulselive.co.ke on Thursday opened a platform for many to share some of their encounters proving that it was something affecting many in silence.

Some victims divulged that they had lost their airtime and data when they tried to call the peculiar number after finding missed calls.

Others mentioned that they had been promised Green Cards and some good amount of money, a promise that would only come to pass if they gave details of their bank account.

Wangiri Fraud

Following the immense response, Pulselive.co.ke dug deeper to establish what the scam is all about. We learnt that it has been in existence since 2015 and is referred to as Wangiri fraud.

According to the definition given, Wangiri means one ring and cut. It is said to have originated in Japan and involves a computer dialing a large number of mobile phone numbers at random.

The scammers leave a missed call in order to entice the user to call back. According to sources online, the numbers are either premium rate or contain advertising messages and when one picks the call or rings back they are charged exorbitantly.

In February 2015, the Intelligence Bureau of South Africa cautioned South Africans against falling for the fraud.

According to the Intelligence Bureau, the swindlers were also calling people on WhatsApp.

The Wangiri fraud is experienced across all networks and MTN South Africa is on record warning its customers.

“MTN family! Kindly avoid returning missed calls from international numbers. There is a scam doing the rounds called Wangiri Fraud,” the tweet dated February reads.