It starts quietly. Your phone buzzes. You see a voicemail notification. But your phone never rang. Then it happens again. And again. Before long, your voicemail inbox looks like it’s under attack.

That’s exactly what Mike from Westport, CT, is dealing with right now. He wrote to us saying,

“I am so upset. Every 20 to 30 minutes, I am getting voicemails, but what’s weird is my phone never rings. After blocking the number, it just rolls over to a new source number. When I go to play the message, there is no audio. Is this a scammer just trying to get me to call them back? Not sure what the endgame is here. What can I do to stop this from happening? I really appreciate your help.”

What he is describing is something we’re seeing more often. It may feel random, but there’s a clear pattern behind this voicemail scam and here’s what you need to know to stay safe.

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What the silent voicemail scam actually is

This tactic is often called a silent voicemail scam or ringless voicemail spam. Here’s how it works in plain terms:

• Scammers drop voicemail messages directly into your inbox
• Your phone never rings, so it feels strange and urgent
• The message is blank, garbled or extremely short
• The number changes constantly to avoid blocks

At first glance, it looks like a glitch. That confusion is the point.

What’s really happening behind the scenes

This pattern almost always points to automated robocall systems using caller ID spoofing, not real people manually calling you.

Here’s what’s likely happening:

• Automated dialing systems are repeatedly hitting your number
• They use spoofed or constantly changing caller IDs, which is why blocking one number doesn’t stop it
• Some calls connect briefly, then drop, leaving behind a silent or very short voicemail
• In some cases, the system is “pinging” your number to confirm it’s active

Once a number is confirmed as active, it can be shared across spam networks and used in future campaigns.

Why scammers leave empty voicemails

It seems pointless, but there’s a strategy behind it.

1) They want you to call back

Curiosity does the work for them. Many people return the call just to figure out what happened. When you call back, you may:

• Reach a premium-rate number that charges per minute
• Get routed into a scam call center
• Confirm your number is active and monitored

2) They test if your number is real

Even if you never call back, your voicemail confirms your number is in use. That makes it more valuable for future scams.

3) They try to bypass spam filters

Because your phone never rings, traditional call filters may not catch it. That lets more of these messages slip through.

Why do the numbers keep changing

You block one number, and another appears minutes later. That’s usually a sign of caller ID spoofing and number cycling. Scammers use software to falsify the number that shows up on your phone and rotate through large batches of numbers to stay ahead of blocks and spam filters. Some of those numbers may be completely fabricated, while others may belong to real people whose caller ID information is being misused. Many of those numbers are:

• Fake
• Reassigned or temporarily used
• Tied to real people who have no idea their number is being spoofed

Blocking a single number can still be worth doing, but it usually will not stop the campaign by itself because the caller can keep switching numbers. 

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Is your phone being hacked?

This is one of the first things many people worry about. In most cases, no. These silent voicemails are more likely to be part of a scam call or robocall campaign than a sign that your phone has been hacked. Scammers can use tactics such as caller ID spoofing and ringless voicemail to reach you without making the call feel normal.

The bigger risk isn’t your phone itself. It’s how the scam tries to get you to respond. Calling back, pressing prompts or engaging with the message can confirm that your number is active and may expose you to more scam attempts. The FTC specifically advises people to hang up or delete the voicemail and not call back unknown numbers.

How to stop silent voicemail scams

You don’t have to just put up with it. There are ways to reduce or stop these messages. 

1) Do not call back unknown numbers

Even if it feels harmless, skip it. If it’s important, the caller will leave a real message.

2) Enable spam call filtering

On iPhone and Android, turn on built-in call filtering and silence unknown callers. This helps reduce future attempts.

How to enable spam call filtering 

On iPhone (latest iOS)

Apple now gives you two strong options: Silence Unknown Callers and Call Screening.

Option 1: Silence unknown callers

• Open Settings
• Tap Apps
• Tap Phone
• Scroll down and turn on Unknown Callers

This sends calls from numbers not in your contacts straight to voicemail without ringing.

Option 2: Turn on Call Screening (recommended)

• Open Settings
• Tap Apps
• Tap Phone
• Scroll down and under Screen Unknown Callers, select Ask Reason for Calling

This feature prompts unknown callers to say who they are before your phone rings, which filters out many spam calls automatically.

Optional: Enable spam identification

• Go to Settings
• Tap Apps
• Tap Phone
• Tap Call Blocking & Identification
• Tap Business Call Identification
• Make sure it is set to ON

This allows your iPhone to show verified business names and logos for legitimate callers when available.

On Samsung 

Samsung combines spam protection with AI call screening.

Settings and feature names may vary depending on your Samsung model, carrier and software version.

Option 1: Turn on spam protection

• Open the Phone app
• Tap the three-dot menu (top right)
• Tap Settings
• Tap Caller ID and spam protection
• Toggle it ON

This flags suspected spam calls before you answer.

Option 2: Block unknown callers

• Open the Phone app
• Tap the three-dot menu (top right) 
• Tap Settings
• Tap Block numbers
• Turn on Block calls from unknown numbers 

This stops hidden or unidentified numbers from ringing your phone.

Option 3: Enable Call Screen (best option)

• Open the Phone app
• Tap the three-dot menu (top right)
• Tap Settings
• Tap Bixby Text Call or just Text Call
• Toggle it ON

This lets your phone answer unknown calls with AI and show you what the caller says in real time.

One important reality check: Even with these turned on, some calls may still go to voicemail. That’s because voicemail is controlled by your carrier, not your phone.

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3) Use a call-blocking app

Apps can spot patterns faster than manual blocking and stop repeat offenders. Many of these apps can also identify known scam numbers and automatically block high-risk calls, helping reduce how often your phone gets hit.

4) Contact your carrier

Many carriers offer network-level spam blocking. Ask about tools that block ringless voicemail or robocalls.

5)  Use a data removal service

If your number keeps getting hit, it may already be circulating on marketing lists or data broker sites. These data removal services scan for your personal information and help remove it from databases that scammers often tap into. Cutting down where your number appears can reduce how often you get targeted over time. Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com

6) Report the activity

You can report unwanted calls and voicemails to the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). Reports help track and shut down large scam campaigns.

7) Protect your number going forward

Avoid posting your phone number publicly. The less exposure it has, the harder it is for scammers to target you.

8) Register your phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry at donotcall.gov/

This can help reduce telemarketing calls from legitimate businesses, but it unfortunately won’t stop scammers, illegal robocalls, or exempt organizations (like charities and political groups) from calling you. Scammers often ignore the registry and use tactics like number spoofing to bypass it. Want to know more about why your phone still won’t stop ringing and what you can do about it?  Check out our article on the ‘Do Not Call’ list loophole.

Kurt’s key takeaways

Silent voicemails are designed to mess with your instincts. They rely on curiosity and confusion, not sophisticated hacking. The best move is simple. Don’t engage. Let them hit a dead end. Over time, that tells the system your number isn’t worth the effort.

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So here’s the real question: If scammers are counting on curiosity to hook you, how often do you think that instinct is working on other people right now? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com

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Xbox just allcapsmaxxed: Meet XBOX. This isn’t a joke; Microsoft appears to be actually rebranding Xbox to XBOX. Asha Sharma, Xbox CEO, ran a poll on X earlier this week, asking fans whether Microsoft should use Xbox or XBOX. The results were in favor of XBOX, and the company has now renamed its X account.

Curiously, the Threads and Bluesky accounts for Xbox haven’t been renamed yet, but if Microsoft is going ahead with a rebranding then I expect those will change soon. I asked Microsoft to comment on this potential Xbox rebranding and the company simply referred me to Sharma’s post.

The use of all caps for Xbox is a return to original form, though. Microsoft’s first Xbox logo for its console was all caps, and the company has favored using similar capped versions for the Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X / S console logos.

The apparent rebranding comes just a few weeks after Sharma scrapped Microsoft Gaming and renamed Microsoft’s gaming division back to Xbox. It’s part of Sharma’s continued promise of a “return of Xbox,” which has involved fan-focused console updates, a new Xbox logo, Game Pass pricing changes, and lots more in recent weeks.

Artificial intelligence (AI) already shows up in your phone, your searches and plenty of apps you use every day. Now, some Silicon Valley investors are betting the machines behind those AI answers could one day run at sea.

A company called Panthalassa has raised $140 million in new funding to develop and deploy autonomous, floating AI computing nodes powered by ocean waves. The Series B round brings Panthalassa’s total funding to $210 million, a sign that investors are taking this ocean-based AI idea seriously. The round was led by Peter Thiel, the Palantir co-founder, and the company says the money will help complete a pilot manufacturing facility near Portland, Oregon. Panthalassa also plans to deploy its Ocean-3 pilot node series in the northern Pacific Ocean later in 2026.

Instead of building another giant AI data center on land, Panthalassa wants to place computing power out at sea. Ocean waves would generate electricity. Seawater would help with cooling. Onboard computing systems would process AI prompts and send the results back to land through low-Earth-orbit satellites.

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LOWERING YOUR ELECTRIC BILL COULD BE FLOATING IN THE OCEAN

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How AI data centers at sea could work

Panthalassa’s floating nodes are designed to capture wave motion and turn it into electricity. The company says it has spent a decade developing the technology behind its power generation, onboard computing and autonomous ocean operations. Its earlier Ocean-1, Ocean-2 and Wavehopper prototypes were tested in 2021 and 2024. Think of each node like a floating power station with AI hardware inside. Waves move the system. That motion helps drive a generator. The power then feeds the onboard chips.

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The company’s plan is to use those chips for AI inference. That is the part of AI where a model responds to your prompt after it has already been trained. In simple terms, it is what happens when you ask a chatbot a question and get an answer back. That makes the ocean plan a little easier to understand. Training massive AI models requires huge data movement and tight coordination. Answering prompts may be more realistic for a floating node, at least in some situations.

Why AI data centers are moving offshore

AI data centers need huge amounts of electricity. They also need space, cooling systems and local support from communities that may not want a massive facility nearby. Those problems have pushed companies to look for unusual answers. Ocean-based computing is one of them.

Panthalassa says its nodes would operate far from shore in wave-rich parts of the ocean. The goal is to use that wave energy directly onboard instead of sending the power back to land. “We’ve built a technology platform that operates in the planet’s most energy-dense wave regions, far from shore, and turns that resource into reliable clean power,” said Garth Sheldon-Coulson, Panthalassa’s co-founder and CEO.

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The ocean also offers cold surrounding water. That could help cool the chips onboard. Cooling is a major issue because data centers produce a lot of heat. Panthalassa is taking a different path from traditional land-based data centers. Instead of pulling more power from the grid, it wants floating nodes that generate their own electricity from waves.

A SUPERCOMPUTER CHIP GOING TO SPACE COULD CHANGE LIFE ON EARTH

The satellite problem for ocean AI data centers

The ocean may help with power and cooling, but it creates another problem: connection. Traditional data centers rely on high-capacity fiber-optic connections because they need to move huge amounts of data fast. A floating node far out at sea may depend on low-Earth-orbit satellite links. That can work for some AI responses, but it may be slower and more limited than fiber.

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The challenge grows when multiple nodes need to work together. AI systems often depend on fast communication between chips, servers and storage. If those parts are floating in the ocean and talking by satellite, coordination gets harder. That means AI data centers at sea may not replace land-based data centers anytime soon. They may be better suited for certain AI tasks where the model can live onboard, and the response does not require constant back-and-forth with other machines.

Repairing floating AI nodes could be difficult

There is another practical question: What happens when something breaks? A land-based data center can send in technicians. A floating AI node in rough seas may need a ship, special equipment and the right weather window. That adds cost and delay.

Panthalassa says it is developing autonomous systems meant for harsh ocean conditions. Its press release says Ocean-3 testing is meant to demonstrate AI inference and refine manufacturing before commercial deployments in 2027. Still, the ocean is brutal. Saltwater eats away at equipment. Storms can turn a routine repair into a major operation. Constant motion also puts stress on the hardware. For this plan to work, Panthalassa will have to show that each node can keep running for years in harsh ocean conditions without frequent human repairs.

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Ocean data centers have been tested before

Ocean data centers are not new. Microsoft experimented with underwater data center servers through Project Natick, including tests in 2015 and 2018. Those tests showed that sealed underwater servers could run reliably while using seawater for cooling, with Microsoft reporting a lower failure rate than comparable land-based systems. Microsoft later ended the project.

Chinese companies have also reportedly pushed ahead with underwater data center projects near Hainan and Shanghai. Keppel has explored floating data center designs in Singapore, where land constraints make the concept especially attractive. Panthalassa’s plan goes in a different direction. It combines wave power with onboard AI chips and satellite-based results. It also depends on floating nodes that would need to operate far from the kind of support a normal data center gets. That is why the idea is getting attention. It is also why skepticism is fair.

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What AI data centers at sea mean for you

For now, this will not change how your phone or computer works. You will not suddenly see a “powered by ocean waves” label on your favorite AI app. But the bigger picture affects everyone. AI needs an incredible amount of electricity. As more companies add AI tools to their products, they need more places to run those systems. That pressure can affect energy grids, water use, local battles over new data centers and even your utility bills over time.

Panthalassa argues its approach could reduce the need for new data centers and power plants on land. That could ease pressure on local communities and the grid, but the company still has to prove the system can work reliably at sea. If ocean-based AI moves beyond testing, it could also raise fresh questions about marine maintenance, environmental oversight and who controls computing infrastructure in international waters.

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Kurt’s key takeaways

Everyone is using AI on their phones and computers these days, but the heavy lifting often happens in huge data centers behind the scenes. That is why Panthalassa’s ocean plan is getting attention. The company wants to use waves for power and seawater for cooling. The hard part is proving that floating AI nodes can survive rough seas, limited satellite links and complicated maintenance. If Panthalassa can pull it off, ocean-based AI could become part of the tech we use every day. If it cannot, it may show just how difficult it is to keep feeding AI’s growing demand for power.

If this kind of ocean-powered AI takes off, would you worry about what these floating nodes could mean for our oceans? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com

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