At least once in our lives, it has happened to all of us a bit to receive a call from an unknown number that does not appear saved on the mobile phone screen. However, the moment you accept the call on the phone, you realize that the caller does not answer or, after a few seconds, disconnects the call. You wonder, what if it was just a mistake? Surely it can happen to anyone to dial a wrong number, but what if it’s not an error, but a scam that can get you into serious trouble?
There is a very specific reason why silent calls exist. In general, this ploy is used by the different call centers for purely commercial purposes to optimize time. That is why they use automatic systems that generate more calls than the number of operators available at that moment. They can’t handle multiple customers at the same time, so the call remains silent. Until the operators are available again, and then they will be able to dedicate themselves to the previous calls that the system has recorded.
But, unfortunately, in recent weeks an unfortunate event has occurred: many people have received more than one silent call and have been reported to the Data Protection Authority. Various calls that have generated various unhappy moods in people, such as anxiety, panic attacks, agitation, alarm, and concern for their safety.
Of course, there is a protection established by the Data Protection Authority itself. According to the provision of February 20, 2014, silent calls must have a duration of 3 seconds after the caller answers. You cannot make more than 3 silent calls for every 100 successful ones, and if this happens, you have to make sure that there is a real operator answering on the other end.
There is also another central point to keep in mind, namely that you can never put the user on pure silent standby. In fact, the system will generate a series of environmental noises, such as background voices or various hums. These noises are called comfort noises and are nothing more than sounds that should calm the person answering the phone. To make it appear that the call is coming from a workplace and that there is no harassment or malicious intent.
However, if you receive calls again from this number or from others, all you have to do is block the call and, consequently, the number as well. You can then activate the spam option through the phone settings. That way, if you ever get calls from unknown numbers, you’ll immediately know if they’re spam or not, because your phone will notify you. Finally, avoid always answering with “Yes” and “No”. These are usually marketing calls aimed at scamming you, deceiving you, and activating various payment services at your expense.