Mobile users across India are falling prey to a costly phone scam known as the Premium Rate Service (PRS) scam. In this scam, victims are charged exorbitant fees for returning missed calls from international numbers. Many users have reportedly been billed thousands of rupees simply for calling back these international numbers.
Reliance Jio has issued a warning to its customers, advising them never to call back unknown international numbers. These premium rate services can charge extremely high rates per minute, even for brief calls.
The Reliance Jio warning further advises users to block suspicious international numbers immediately and avoid returning calls from unknown foreign contacts. Any number with a country code other than India’s +91 should be approached with caution.
How to identify a Premium Rate Service scam call
The scam works by scammers initiating brief calls that disconnect before the victim can answer, and leaves behind a missed call notification. When the victim calls back, they are unknowingly connected to premium rate services that charge significant fees, sometimes several hundred rupees per minute.
These suspicious calls can be identified by several signs, including calls from unfamiliar international country codes, a very brief ring duration before disconnection, calls received at unusual hours, and multiple attempts from the same or similar numbers.
These are all indicators that the call could be part of the Premium Rate Service scam.
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