Speaking in a presentation on the upcoming\u00a0Cybercrimes and Cybersecurity Bill, Cell C, Telkom and Vodacom encouraged parliament to include offences such as cyber-fraud and cyber-forgery in the draft bill, as it would make it easier to prosecute fraudsters.<\/p>\n
According to a report by EWN<\/a><\/strong>, the mobile operators were specifically concerned about the “worldwide phenomenon” known as Wangiri fraud<\/em>, which they said was costing their users a significant amount of money.<\/p>\n Wangiri is a form of phone fraud\u00a0<\/strong><\/a>which originated in Japan. The name translates to \u201cone and cut\u201d, and comes from fraudsters calling your phone, letting it ring once, and then disconnecting their call.<\/p>\n If you return the missed call, you are tricked into calling a premium-rated number that charges exorbitant rates.<\/p>\n “They can run up a bill of R60, R70, R80, R90 a minute and what these criminals do is to try and keep the victim on the line for as long as possible, thereby generating money for themselves,” said\u00a0Cell C\u2019s Jacqueline Fick.<\/p>\n When she was asked by an African National Congress lawmaker about what operators are doing to deal with Wangiri Fraud, Fick explained that spreading awareness and education were extremely important.<\/p>\n Fick said operators are able to block illicit calls once they’ve identified the phone numbers involved.<\/p>\n