Have you recently missed audio or video calls on your WhatsApp number or Facebook Messenger? Recheck and confirm if these abrupt incoming calls were from numbers starting with +237 (Cameroon, Africa), +84 (Vietnam), +251 (Ethiopia, Africa), +62 (Indonesia) and likewise other international codes. Well, you aren’t the only one who might be concerned about such a barrage of unknown calls on one or more of your mobile apps, as quite a few others in the city are facing the same situation. This has come into the limelight since some users started sharing their grievances on social media platforms.
“One of my friends started receiving video calls from an international number on WhatsApp. Initially, he did not pick them up. But after receiving multiple calls, he finally gave in and picked up once out of irritation and curiosity,” shares Aakriti, a product manager. She adds, “The minute the call was received, the screen went blank and after about 20 seconds, the call disconnected from the other end. Soon after, my friend received his morphed photos from the same number. The sender asked for money in return for deleting these pictures, and he gave in to the pressure because he panicked. I tried to explain to him that he should have reported the matter, but the damage was done by then. However, having seen him suffer, I immediately started rejecting and blocking calls from all unknown international numbers; so far, I’ve blocked 24.”
“Earlier, many times I would get sweet-talking messages like ‘What are you doing, honey?’ I never responded to them,” shares Sandeep Babal, a brand consultant, adding, “But now, how to deal with calls that one could pick up even by mistake when in the middle of work? Sometimes it rings for a very short time, so how do you get to know if it was a call that dropped due to a bad network or was dialled intentionally as click bait?” asks Babal, who further shares, “Due to my profession, I often work with international clients. The usual protocol for most of them is to text before calling. But recently, when I started noticing some missed calls from international numbers, I first thought someone was trying to reach me and probably had a work-related query, so I reverted to one of the numbers via text. Alas! I then started receiving such missed calls all the more frequently. When I reported this matter to WhatsApp support, it was all in vain. Presently, I’m blocking five to six callers every day!”
{{/usCountry}}“Earlier, many times I would get sweet-talking messages like ‘What are you doing, honey?’ I never responded to them,” shares Sandeep Babal, a brand consultant, adding, “But now, how to deal with calls that one could pick up even by mistake when in the middle of work? Sometimes it rings for a very short time, so how do you get to know if it was a call that dropped due to a bad network or was dialled intentionally as click bait?” asks Babal, who further shares, “Due to my profession, I often work with international clients. The usual protocol for most of them is to text before calling. But recently, when I started noticing some missed calls from international numbers, I first thought someone was trying to reach me and probably had a work-related query, so I reverted to one of the numbers via text. Alas! I then started receiving such missed calls all the more frequently. When I reported this matter to WhatsApp support, it was all in vain. Presently, I’m blocking five to six callers every day!”
{{/usCountry}}Folks, it’s important to report such calls to help the authorities take notice of them. Vijay Pal, SHO at Cyber Police Station, New Delhi, tells us, “So far there are no complaints that we’ve received in this matter, especially none when it comes to video calls via international numbers. But we have indeed heard about people sharing their incidents on social media. Once reported, appropriate action is surely taken to safeguard the interests of the complainant. Regardless of that, people should not pick up calls from unknown international numbers or reply to them. It’s often due to the fear of humiliation that people shy away from reporting scams. But have faith that we are there to help. Anyone can call our 24X7 helpline number 1930 or write to us at www.cybercrime.gov.in to report such matters.”
What to do when receiving unknown international calls:
- Call 1930 to file the complaint with Delhi Police’s Cyber Crime Cell
- To file an online complaint, go to www.cybercrime.gov.in and click on the option, Report A Crime. Fill in the required details and submit the complaint. You can also track your complain online on the same website.
Author tweets @maishascribbles
Follow more such stories, Twitter and Facebook
Stay updated with all top Cities including, Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai and more across India. Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News along with Delhi Election 2025 and Delhi Election Result 2025 Live, New Delhi Election Result Live, Kalkaji Election Result Live at Hindustan Times.
Stay updated with all top Cities including, Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai and more across India. Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News along with Delhi Election 2025 and Delhi Election Result 2025 Live, New Delhi Election Result Live, Kalkaji Election Result Live at Hindustan Times.