Beware of Silent Calls, IPB University Expert: Do Not Answer and Do Not Call Back
Have you ever received a mysterious phone call that suddenly disconnected without any sound? Be careful. It could be part of a new digital fraud scheme. The phenomenon of “silent calls” is now increasingly common and has become an entry point for various cybercrimes.
A lecturer from the Computer Science Study Program at IPB University, Dr Heru Sukoco, reminded the public not to respond to such calls. He emphasized that the main principle to follow is to ignore them and never call back.
“Do not answer, do not call back, block and ignore the number because such calls are the initial stage of telephone based fraud.”
The silent call phenomenon has been identified as part of growing social engineering or scam activities. These calls are usually silent or disconnected after a few seconds. Their objectives vary, ranging from checking whether a phone number is active, luring victims into making a return call, to collecting data for follow-up attacks.
According to him, the risks of these calls should not be underestimated. Victims’ numbers may be added to fraud target lists, directed into follow-up schemes such as one-time password (OTP) scams and phishing, or connected to premium-rate numbers with expensive charges if they call back.
To avoid such risks, he advised the public not to answer calls from unknown numbers, especially suspicious foreign numbers. If the call is genuinely important, the caller will usually contact again or send a text message.
He also stressed never to make a return call. “This is the most common trap, because many scams use the ‘missed call bait’ technique,” he explained.
In addition, people can use technology for added protection. For example, third party applications can help identify spam numbers, automatically block calls, and label suspicious incoming calls. He also suggested activating built-in phone features such as silence unknown callers or block unknown numbers.
“If a call has already been answered, avoid saying ‘yes,’ because the voice may be recorded and misused for personal data manipulation such as OTP, national identity number (NIK), or banking information,” he advised.
More broadly, he stated that family education is also an important preventive step, especially for parents and children who may be more vulnerable to fraud attempts. They are encouraged not to panic and not to easily trust threats delivered over the phone.
At a wider level, he emphasized the importance of improving public digital literacy, the role of telecom operators in filtering suspicious calling patterns, and cross sector collaboration to build a national spam database.
This phenomenon shows that simple public vigilance can become the primary defense against increasingly sophisticated digital crimes. (dh) (IAAS/KAL)
