TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Fixed phone line users receiving an international call from a number with the prefix +886 9 will first hear a warning against scams before they can take the call, reports said Thursday (July 13).
Chunghwa Telecom subscribers will start receiving the service, which was approved by the National Communications Commission (NCC), on July 17, per CNA. People picking up the phone will first hear a seven-second message in Mandarin and Taiwanese warning, “Be careful, this is an international call, watch out for fraud.”
Users will never be charged for the seven-second warning. If they do not want to hear the full message, they can press any button to end the recording.
Chunghwa Telecom reportedly covers 93% of fixed phone lines in Taiwan. Five mobile telecom operators were planning to introduce similar warnings in October.
In addition, Taiwan Mobile and FarEasTone are jointly developing voice warnings for suspicious international calls.
