A silent call occurs when your phone rings from an unknown or seemingly familiar number, and when you answer, there is complete silence - no voice, no background noise. The line stays quiet for a few seconds before disconnecting. While many people dismiss these calls as wrong numbers or network issues. In reality, experts warn that these calls are often the first step in a fraud attempt, designed to collect information without any direct interaction.
Why Silent Calls Happen?
Silent calls are not accidental, they serve specific criminal purposes:
Number validation: Answering confirms your phone is active, making it more valuable for future scams.
Voice capture: Any spoken words, even a simple “Hello” or “Yes,” can be recorded for AI voice cloning or impersonation.
Build Target Lists: Active numbers are added to illicit databases, which may be sold or reused by cybercriminal networks.
Setting up follow-up scams: Once your number is verified, you may receive phishing calls, fake bank alerts, or impersonation attempts from delivery services or authorities.
Identifying the best time to reach you: Scammer tracks when you answer the call. They use that data to call again at the same time, but with a real scammer on the line.
How to Identify a Silent Call Scam:
Repeated calls from unknown or unfamiliar numbers where there is no response from the caller.
Lacking in background noise during such calls.
Calls that disconnect after a few seconds of silence
Follow-up SMS or WhatsApp messages claiming to be from banks, authorities, or delivery services
Things to keep in mind:
Hang up immediately: If you receive a silent call from an unknown number, do not speak—legitimate callers will identify who they are and why they are calling and if they don’t, hang up immediately. Do not wait.
Do not speak at all: Avoid saying “Hello,” “Yes,” or any words. Staying silent prevents your voice from being recorded.
Do not call the number back: It may lead to premium-rate charges or connect you to another scammer.
Do Not Click Any Follow-up Messages: After a silent call, if you receive SMS or WhatsApp messages pretending to be from banks, delivery services, police, or government agencies. especially those urging urgent action—should be treated as suspicious.
Block the Number: Most smartphones allow you to block callers easily. While scammers rotate numbers often, blocking reduces repeat attempts.
Use Your Phone’s Built-In Scam/Spam Filters: Android and iPhone both have features to silence unknown callers and report spam. Enabling these cuts down future attempts.
Rest assured that CelcomDigi is actively taking measures to ensure our customers do not fall prey to such scams.
