Police officers in Malaysia have warned their citizens not to speak during scam calls that remain silent. They explained that scammers are purportedly recording audio during such calls and subsequently using AI to replicate the victim’s voice to scam their friends and family. According to New Straits Times (NST), two Malaysian police officers explained in an online video that ‘silent’ scam calls serve an ulterior purpose. When victims answer such calls and speak, such as to say “hello?”, the scammers may be recording the victim’s voice. As little as three to five seconds of audio is all that is needed. The captured audio may then be used for replication using AI. “They may then contact a family member, such as a parent, pretending that the victim is in urgent need of money,” one of the Malaysian police officers said, according to NST. When family members hear their relative’s voice, they may believe it is genuine, fall for the ruse, and transfer the money. The officers advised the public to avoid speaking first when answering unknown calls. They posited that genuine callers will usually be the first to introduce themselves and state their purpose when reaching out. “Let the caller speak first. If they remain silent or do not identify themselves, end the call immediately,” one of the officers said. Photo from Canva.
Related Buzz
Born profoundly deaf, this Singaporean photographer takes people’s portraits in total silence
While Lim could communicate via sign language, I, regrettably, do not understand it. I expected my limitations to greatly hinder our rapport. But to her…
Banking union urges StanChart to invest in training workers as ‘AI should complement employees’
HISTORY OF UNION INVOLVEMENT StanChart’s Singapore entity is unionised under the BFSU, which is an affiliated union of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC). The…
Three farms affected by Lim Chu Kang land-use changes seek lease extensions as expiry dates draw near
LONGER LEASES The highest profile farm affected by the land-use changes is Seng Choon, one of Singapore’s three egg farms. Its lease expires in September…
More Singapore teens take on part-time work during year-end holidays
“I’m working with a lot of people every shift, especially people my age or older or even younger sometimes. It’s mostly teamwork and having clear…
Bus arrival timing system disrupted temporarily due to ‘technical issues’
SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority’s bus Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) system was temporarily unavailable on the MyTransport.SG app on Tuesday morning (Jul 14). Commuters…



