A phone call where no one speaks and then hangs up might seem harmless—but police say it could be your first red flag.
KUALA LUMPUR: The police are urging everyone to stay alert when receiving so‑called "silent calls"—incoming phone calls where the person on the other end says nothing, and the line abruptly disconnects after a few moments.
Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa explained that, so far, the police have not officially received any reports of victims whose voices were recorded during these silent calls and then cloned using artificial intelligence (AI) to scam their family members, friends, or other contacts.
But here’s where it gets controversial… Even though no such cases have been formally reported yet, authorities are still taking the risk seriously. Rusdi stressed that members of the public should treat these calls with extreme caution. He advised people not to reveal any personal or sensitive information over the phone, especially if the caller claims to represent government agencies, law enforcement, or financial institutions such as banks or insurance companies.
He emphasized that whenever someone receives a call that appears to be from an official body, it is safer to end the conversation and then verify the situation through trusted, official channels—for example, by calling the organization’s official hotline number listed on its website, or visiting a nearby branch in person.
“Any call or message that seems suspicious—whether it is a silent call, a vague inquiry, or a message that pressures you to act quickly—should be terminated immediately and reported to the police,” he said.
He made these remarks in response to a Facebook post shared by the Kuala Lumpur police, which drew attention to what is being described as a new or emerging scam tactic. The post warned that silent calls could be part of a broader strategy by scammers to test phone numbers, create fear, or potentially lay the groundwork for more sophisticated fraud attempts in the future.
And this is the part most people miss… Even without confirmed local cases of AI voice cloning from silent calls, similar tactics have already surfaced in other countries. There, criminals allegedly use brief recorded snippets of a victim’s voice to generate convincing AI‑driven imitations, which are then used to trick relatives or business partners into transferring money or sharing confidential information. This possibility is what makes even a “simple” silent call worth paying attention to.
Some might argue that advising the public about a threat that has not yet occurred could cause unnecessary fear. Others would say that early warning is exactly what prevents people from becoming victims in the first place. So where should the line be drawn between creating awareness and causing alarm?
What do you think: Are the police being rightly proactive, or are they over‑emphasizing a risk that hasn’t materialized here yet? Have you ever received a silent call and wondered about it—or do you think it’s usually just a technical glitch or a wrong number? Share your thoughts, experiences, and even disagreements in the comments—do you see this as a real danger, or more of a hypothetical threat for now?
