Question Motorola doing something strange.

[rcmphoto]

Last friday, my motorola Moto E6 did something odd. It started to ring, but didn't do more than chirp once before going silent. The log shows a single missed call from a number that was supposedly from Pennsylvania, but otherwise doesn't Google at all. No surprise there, but as I watched the missed call log, I noticed a timer running under the missed call listing. It started at "1..." , then after a little I saw "3..." then "5..." and it kept climbing. At one point I powered the phone all the way off for about ten minutes, and when it came back on, the timer was still running. Eventually about an hour or so later it went to "1:0..." A couple of minutes later, I was moving the phone and accidentally redialed a previous call, and the timer disappeared. The log showed just the missed call and time of day. I powered down and left the phone charging but off overnight. Saturday it was still showing just the number and time of the one missed call in Recents, and only the one call in the History for that number. A little later the phone popped up a window asking if I wanted to report spam or block the number. I didn't want to risk erasing the record, so I just blocked the number. Now the log showed it as missed call at time of day and "blocked" but nothing further. I'm still concerned. I'm a bit nervous about using the phone because I just don' know what's going on. A couple of more experienced friends are as confused as I am. Anyone heard of this?

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! It's too bad you don't have a screenshot of that initial notification -- I wonder if it was just telling you how long ago the missed call was, and it was updating in real time as you continued to look at it.

Also, do you have any kind of 3rd party spam call blockers installed, like TrueCaller, that might be responsible for that kind of notification?

 

[rcmphoto]

Unfortunately, no screenshot. Too many other things going on at that moment.

No other apps of any kind. None.

I haven't noticed the phone offering that kind of info before. Might it be a new or undocumented feature that anyone knows about?

 

[B. Diddy]

I'll have to keep an eye out the next time I get a missed call on my Pixel Fold.

 

[VidJunky]

Welcome to Android Central forums.

I found this mention of an issue like this, and here is what Google says.

This is likely a "One-Ring" or "Wangiri" scam, where scammers use automated dialers to call thousands of numbers, letting them ring once to trigger a callback, notes Chapman Blogs and AT&T. The timer starts because the call is routed through an automated system or immediately to a premium-rate service if you call back.
Chapman Blogs +1
What to Do:

• DO NOT call back the unknown number.
• Ignore it: It is a robocall scanning for active, responding numbers.
• Block the number: Use your phone’s built-in block feature.
• Report it: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
• Check charges: If you did call back, monitor your phone bill for unexpected premium charges.
  Federal Communications Commission (.gov) +5

These scams aim to get you to call back out of curiosity or thinking it was a missed legitimate call, at which point you may be charged high rates or tricked into revealing personal information.

It sounds like since you called back that you should keep an eye on your upcoming bill because if I'm reading this right, your call back gave them permission to bill you for that hour before you called back. And if it is a premium call, as the scam states, that could be any amount per minute. $4.99, $9.99, I would check as soon as possible and try to dispute the charges with your phone carrier.

Good luck, tell us if they charged you and what they charged you so that others finding this are aware.