Dealing with silent robocalls? This is why scam callers keep quiet

Here's what to do when you receive a "silent" scam call. Yori Meirizan/iStock/Getty Images Plus

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There's a reason scam callers don't respond when you answer.

The goal is simply to confirm that your number is active and spammable.

To deal with a call, hang up and use spam filtering to block them.

Have you ever picked up your phone to answer a call from an unknown number, only for no one to reply? That "hello?" you're shouting into the silent void could be feeding a machine. When you pick up a mystery call and hear nothing but dead air for three seconds, you aren't waiting for a confused human. You're actually waiting for automated dialer to hand you off to a live predator.

Also: This new phone scam has 'carriers' calling to exchange your device - don't fall for it

Yes, there is a method behind the madness. Just knowing that someone answered the call is validation that the phone is owned by a real person and that the number is active. That marks the intended victim and number as available for future scams.

'Automated reconnaissance'

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