Had A Missed Call From Any Of These Numbers? Do Not Call Them Back

Darragh Berry

Oh hey there, Tonga?

There’s nothing more annoying than being alarmed by your phone as a call comes through only to realise that it’s from a place Zimbabwe or Uzbekistan.

Well, the latest phone call scam doing the rounds in Ireland is coming from Tonga and the concept is pretty much the same as the rest of them. You answer or ring back and it costs you a pile of money per second.

You could easily part with €50 here if you’re naive enough to answer or give them a buzz back.

SO DON’T DO IT.

These are the type of numbers to watch out for:

Just got a phone call from Tonga……

— Graham Hoey (@G_Hoey) May 15, 2018

These foreign numbers really need to stop calling my phone , where even is Tonga ????

— ‘shlé???????? (@ashleyk_ovo) May 15, 2018

Not today Tonga ???????? pic.twitter.com/rvB1y4PvFD

— Lauren Kelly (@laurenk969) May 15, 2018

@eircare @eir How do I block all called from Tonga? Random numbers from there keep calling me every few minutes ????????????????????‍♂️????‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/lw15oidhN8

— Mikhail Yankelevich (@MikeYankelevich) May 15, 2018

Missed calls from Tonga – my new alarm clock

— Ciara ???? (@ciarawalshxo) May 7, 2018

Okay Tonga, please stop spamming me. 5 blocked calls in the last 30 mins

— ???????????????????????????????? (@illmatix) May 15, 2018

Don’t you hate it when you just miss a phone call from Tonga? pic.twitter.com/Z9jJ3mPeoq

— Aislinn Cody (@AislinnSaysHi) May 15, 2018

Ireland’s communications regulator ComReg has some guidelines that you can follow if you’re worried about an unknown number:

Avoid answering calls from numbers that you cannot identify, especially if you are not expecting a call.
Hang up immediately, on calls where there appears to be no recipient on the other end.
Be wary of multiple calls being received from the same number.
Do not call back any number that leaves you a blank voicemail message.
Do not provide any personal information for example – banking details/PPS number/credit card details/name and address/passport number etc.