Are you getting dialed and no one is speaking? The dangers of 'silent calls' where you should never say 'yes'

There's nothing more annoying than receiving an unnecessary call —one that seems like nothing more than a waste of time or even a prank. The person calling is supposed to introduce themselves and explain why they're calling, but sometimes that doesn't happen.

Sometimes there's no one on the other end, just silence. This can turn into a battle of who speaks first. Desperate, you might respond with a "hello" or "yes?" After doing this, they hang up.

This simple response and brief silent call may seem harmless, but cybersecurity experts say it could be a scam.

According to La Voz de Galicia, it's a sophisticated phone scam in which cybercriminals try to verify that the line is active. It's usually an automated mechanism that makes thousands of calls to numbers selected at random or taken from old records, the aforementioned outlet explained.

These systems are typically not programmed to engage in conversation, but rather to collect data: whether someone answers, whether the voicemail is received, whether the number is inactive, or whether there is a dial tone.

Just by picking up the phone, even if nothing is said, the system already gets what it's looking for: verification that the number is real and in use. This information, although seemingly irrelevant, is extremely valuable, as it can be used to prepare future, more elaborate scams targeting people who have proven themselves available.

While not all of these calls are made for criminal purposes, it's important to take precautionary measures and be wary of unknown numbers.

The aforementioned outlet also discussed the risks of answering these silent calls with a "yes." According to experts, cybercriminals can record it and use this word as proof of consent.

"The simple act of saying 'yes' on a phone call can be a gateway to a host of problems," said Spain's National Cybersecurity Institute (Incibe).

Additionally, in more sophisticated scams , criminals may modify, cut, or reuse the recording to pass it off as a valid response on voice verification systems.

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