Know What is Silent Call: The Latest Cyber Fraud Modus

Illustration of cyber fraud with the silent call modus (photo: Pixabay/Geralt)

YOGYAKARTA - What is a silent call? This term refers to a phone call from an unknown number that does not make a sound and is usually disconnected in a few seconds. Although it looks like a prank call, this phenomenon is actually worth paying attention to because it is often associated with digital fraud methods.

Recently, many users have reported receiving mysterious calls without sound from foreign numbers. The call generally lasts only a few seconds before being disconnected. This practice is not just a common nuisance, but is suspected to be part of an increasingly developed cybercrime strategy.

The perpetrator usually uses a silent call to check if the number they are calling is still active. If the number is proven to be active, the victim has the potential to become the next target. Not infrequently, the perpetrator also lures the victim to make a return call.

So that you are more aware, let's see the explanation about what is a silent call in the article below.

Know What is Silent Call

Summarized from various sources, silent calls or silent calls are mysterious phone calls without sound when picked up, or automatically disconnected in a few seconds, which scammers often use to identify active numbers.

In practice, silent calls are part of social engineering and spam techniques that market victims for follow-up crimes such as data theft or AI-based fraud (artificial intelligence).

The perpetrator takes advantage of the victim's psychology to make them curious and eventually take certain actions, such as calling back the number.

If the victim makes a call back, the risk of loss can increase. One possibility is to connect to a premium number with a high rate, so that the phone bill or bill can swell without realizing it.

Regarding this latest cyber fraud modus, the Ministry of Communication and Information Republic of Indonesia urges the public not to respond to suspicious calls from unknown numbers. This is important to prevent potential fraud and theft of personal data.

Silent Call Risks to Watch Out For

The risk of silent calls cannot be taken lightly. In addition to the potential for financial losses, victims can also be targets of follow-up attacks. After the verified number is active, the perpetrator can continue his actions in various ways.

Some of them include gift-in-the-guise fraud, OTP code theft, to phishing traps. In some cases, victims can even connect to paid services without realizing it when making a callback.

The report from the National Cyber and Sandi Agency also states that this method is often used to validate active numbers before launching the next fraud.

In launching their actions, perpetrators usually use Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. This technology allows calls to be made over the internet, so that phone numbers can be manipulated easily.

As a result, the number that appears on the phone screen can be different and difficult to track. This is what makes silent calls one of the modes that are quite dangerous and difficult to anticipate.

How to Avoid Silent Calls

To avoid the risk of silent calls, there are several steps that can be taken, such as not answering calls from unknown numbers, not calling back, and blocking suspicious numbers.

In addition, it is also important not to share personal data carelessly. By increasing vigilance, you can minimize the risk of becoming a victim of digital crime.

That's the explanation of what a silent call is. Get other interesting news updates by visiting the VOI.id page.