Getting a Call From a +63 Number? Here's Where It's Coming From

The prefix +63 is the country code of Philippines. If you're getting a call from a number starting with these digits but don't know the person or aren't expecting contact from anyone in Philippines, you're more than likely getting an advertising call or even an attempted scam call.

As we'll see in this short guide, we recommend being cautious of unexpected calls or messages, regardless of their origin. After all, scammers are becoming increasingly creative these days, and not being aware of their tricks can lead to you being taken advantage of.

Possible Scams Starting With +63

Unfortunately, scam calls are widespread these days. According to one recent study, scammers have begun increasingly using social engineering tactics and advanced scripts to dupe their victims into believing they're real, making it harder than ever to tell if your call is genuine or not.

It should go without saying that, as a general rule, you should therefore remain careful when receiving calls, WhatsApps, or texts from unknown numbers. This applies to foreign telephone numbers with a +63 country code just as much as local numbers. And even though calls or messages from telephone numbers with a Filipino dialing code might not always be a fraud attempt, you should always assume that they are if you have no connections to the country.

Below, we've listed a few of the most popular types of scam calls:

1. Advance Fee Fraud

In an advance fee scam, someone calls you and tells you you're in line to receive a large sum of money. It all sounds so convincing. Maybe a rich distant relative has died, maybe you've won a cash prize, or maybe you're eligible for a government welfare payment. However, before you can receive the money, you're asked first to pay a fee or advance payment, which you must transfer quickly to unblock the larger sum you're owed. However, as you might've guessed, nothing is owed to you, and this was all a ploy to steal your money.

2. Ping (or One-Ring) Calls

Ping calls are fraudulent phone calls that only ring briefly before being hung up. Here, you might feel tempted to call back out of curiosity or fear of missing an important call. If you do call back, high charges for international calling may follow, resulting in soaring costs on your phone bill. While scammers often use this trick to test the validity of your phone number for future scams, it's often done purely out of malice or just to annoy you.

3. Fake Job Offers

If you receive a call for a job you didn't apply for, you're probably receiving a fake job offer. Here, you'll be offered an attractive position and salary, but you'll be asked to provide your personal information or even pay for your training, equipment, or visa applications. However, these scams will ultimately leave you without money and without a job.

4. Phishing Attacks

Phishing attacks are widespread and involve sending fake emails or text messages pretending to come from a trusted source, often a bank, delivery service, or insurance company. These messages often contain links to fake websites where you'll be tricked into revealing personal details such as passwords or credit card information. These fake websites can often look very elaborate and accurate, making it easy to be fooled.

5. Romance Scams

As the name suggests, romance scams involve a fake romantic relationship. The scammer gains their victim's trust with the sole intention of extorting money by pretending to be in a difficult situation and needing financial help. Although it might sound obvious to spot, scammers will often be very persuasive, building your trust over a long period of time and having an elaborate (albeit fake) life story and attractive pictures. In extreme cases, the scammer will even take you on real dates in person and show off their apparent wealth long before asking you for any money.

6. Technical Support Scam

Here, fraudsters pretend to be employees of a technology company or an IT support service and call you claiming to want to help fix alleged problems with your computer or device. Step by step, they'll ask you unwittingly to grant them remote access to your computer, where they'll proceed to steal your personal data or install malware.

7. Police Fraud Scams

You're called by the police. They explain that you (or often a close relative of yours) are about to be arrested for a crime. The only way to escape being thrown into jail is to pay a bail or court fee in advance. They arrange to meet you in a public area to accept the cash (where they'll be dressed as cops), or, preferably, they'll receive the payment as a bank transfer or as a digital payment. The problem is, none of this is real, and the 'police' were merely professional scammers impersonating police officers.

What Do Scammers Want?

At the end of the day, no matter whether you're approached by scammers using a +63 number or a local one, the people behind it are after one thing: money.

However, to steal your money, scammers often find it easier to achieve other things first, like building your trust, establishing whether you're a suitable target, understanding your habits, etc. Here are a few secondary goals scammers might want from you that might not be so obvious:

• Financial data (e.g. credit card numbers, bank account details, etc.),
• Personal data (e.g. full name, date of birth, address, etc.),
• Login credentials (e.g. usernames, passwords, security question answers, etc.),
• Learning about your habits and preferences (e.g. interests, hobbies, internet browsing history, etc.),
• Health data (e.g. medical history, health insurance details, prescription information, etc.),
• Determining how easy a target you are (e.g. scammers might start with simple scams like ping calls to test whether your number works and if you call back, etc.)
• Building your trust.

How to Protect Yourself From Scam Calls

If you're feeling sure that you don't know anyone in Philippines who might want to contact you with a legitimate request, you should be aware of your options.

Option 1: Ignore

If you're just being called or texted from an unknown telephone number with a +63 country code, you can ignore it for the time being. It may turn out that someone is contacting you legitimately and that you lack the context to categorise the message or call. However, it's important that you don't engage. Don't open attachments that you receive via WhatsApp or other messengers from an unknown telephone number Philippines or from unknown local numbers. The risk of downloading a virus onto your phone is high.

Option 2: Block

If you receive regular calls or messages from an unknown phone number with or without a +63 country code, you should block it. WhatsApp contacts can be blocked directly via the WhatsApp app, and you can block regular calls via your ‘Phone’ app too. (The steps required for this vary depending on whether you have an iPhone or Android, but blocking contacts is generally easy on all smartphones.)

Option 3: Report

Are you regularly terrorised by scam calls, or have you fallen victim to one? Then you should report the telephone number to the relevant authority in your country. Although the authorities cannot always do something directly to prevent this, especially in the case of foreign numbers with +63 prefixes or other dialing codes, your report can initiate or support an investigation.

Below are a few official resources for reporting scams in various countries which would be a good place to start:

Telephone numbers used by fraudsters are also published on plenty of websites online. If you've received an unknown call or message from Philippines, you should check the telephone number against online lists, which you can normally do simply by typing the full phone number (including the +63 prefix) directly into Google.

What If It's a Genuine Call?

Let's assume you received one or two phone calls from a +63 number which you missed or ignored, believing them to be scam calls. Later, it might turn out that those calls were, in fact, perfectly genuine all along. You might find this out if the caller emails you or otherwise manages to reach you with a legitimate request, or you suddenly remember why someone in Philippines might be trying to get hold of you, for example.

In these cases, you probably want to call them back.

However, as you probably know, making an international call can be shockingly expensive. If you'd like to get in touch with your Filipino contact affordably, you basically have three options:

1. VoIP calls: Using free apps that connect to WiFi, like WhatsApp, Google Meet, Skype, Telegram, Messenger, or FaceTime.
2. International calling app: Using a low-cost-per-minute calling app to connect via regular mobile phone, like Rebtel, Boss Revolution, and Yolla. We like Rebtel in particular, whose excellent rates and market-leading platform make it a great choice for cheaply calling Philippines from abroad.
3. Other means of communication: This could be by email, WhatsApp, or even old-fashioned snail mail. (Consider carefully before sending a text, though, since, like calls, they're also expensive when made internationally.)