A warning has emerged that casually answering "Hello?" to a call from an unknown number could lead to one's voice being exploited for criminal purposes. As AI has advanced to the point where it can clone a voice nearly identical to a real person's with just a few seconds of audio, so-called "silent call" scams are emerging as a new form of voice phishing.
French information and communications outlet GNT reported Monday (local time), citing analysis from global security firm Bitdefender and others, that "calls that end without a word may not be simple communication errors but a new type of scam targeting AI voice cloning."
The method is relatively simple. A call comes in from an unfamiliar number, and when the recipient reflexively answers "Hello?", the other party hangs up immediately without saying a word. Most people dismiss it as a wrong number or a mechanical error, but in reality, voice data can be collected in that brief moment, according to the explanation.
Experts analyzed that scammers achieve two objectives simultaneously through this process. First, they verify whether the number is actually in use, and at the same time, they obtain the voice sample needed for AI voice cloning.
Recent AI technology has advanced to the point where it can reproduce a person's speech patterns, intonation, and tone with considerable precision using just a few seconds of audio. Bitdefender warned that "cloning voices and intonation is far easier than people think."
The cloned voice is highly likely to be subsequently exploited in voice phishing schemes impersonating family members or acquaintances. For example, scammers may fabricate an accident or emergency to request that money be sent urgently. When the voice sounds like that of an actual acquaintance, the risk of the victim being deceived increases significantly.
Some experts also raise the possibility that cloned voices could be used to bypass security procedures at financial services or bank call centers that use voice authentication.
In particular, these crimes are often not carried out immediately after the call. The cloned voice may be used weeks or months later, making it difficult for victims to identify the cause, which is cited as another concern.
GNT advised as a preventive measure that "when a call comes from an unknown number, it is better to wait until the other party speaks first." If there is no response, one should hang up immediately, and particularly avoid affirmative answers such as "Yes" or "That's right," the outlet emphasized.
Experts urged people to block or report suspicious numbers and not to automatically call back missed calls. This is because cases involving "spoofing" technology, which manipulates caller IDs to appear as public institutions or corporate numbers, are also increasing.
