Technology
Missed voicemails with no calls? It could be a scam
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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.
RECEIVING UNEXPECTED INTERNATIONAL CALLS? WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Silent voicemail scams can flood a phone with blank messages even when the device never rings. (Getty Images)
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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.
GOOGLE SEARCH LED TO A COSTLY SCAM CALL
Scammers may use ringless voicemail spam and caller ID spoofing to test whether a phone number is active. (Getty Images)
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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Unknown voicemail messages that contain no audio may be part of an automated robocall campaign. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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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Copyright 2026 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
Technology
Amazon security research reportedly led to the White House’s Anthropic Fable ban
According to the Wall Street Journal, the export control directive that led to Anthropic cutting off access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5 was triggered in part by cybersecurity research from Amazon and conversations between CEO Andy Jassy and the White House. According to the report, the paper from Amazon claims that, through a series of prompts, it was able to get Fable 5 to serve up information that could be used in cyberattacks. Amazon has yet to respond to a request for comment.
Shortly after Jassy shared the company’s findings with the government, it made the call to block its use by foreign nationals. Complicating this issue is that many of Anthropic’s researchers are foreign-born, meaning they were barred from accessing their own product.
In a statement, Anthropic disputed the government’s characterization of the issue as a “jailbreak.” It argued that many of the same vulnerabilities could be discovered using other publicly available models, including GPT 5.5. Some security researchers appear to back the company’s interpretation. Katie Moussouris, the founder and CEO of LutaSecurity posted on BlueSky that “I’ve seen the paper. It’s not a jailbreak.” Former Commerce Department official Kate Koren speculated to the WSJ that the White House’s dislike of Anthropic may have influenced the decision.
Anthropic and the Trump administration have been at odds for some time over the company’s refusal to allow its AI to be used for mass surveillance of Americans or to power lethal autonomous weapons. In February, Trump instructed federal agencies to stop using Anthropic’s AI. And just hours later, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth designated the company a supply chain risk.
The government and the company seemed to have made amends, and the two had worked together to expand access to Mythos. However, now the two seem destined to clash again.
Technology
Robot soccer player dents wall with terrifying kicks
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A robot soccer player just gave goalkeepers another reason to feel nervous. Booster Robotics titled its YouTube video “Try Stopping This Robot,” and after watching its T1 humanoid hammer soccer balls toward a goal, you can see why.
Most of the kicks hit the curtain behind the net. But several shots appear to hit with enough force to leave visible impact marks and dents in the wall. That part is what everyone is talking about.
At first, it just looks like a viral robot soccer video. Then the wall damage makes the whole thing feel a lot more serious. This video also raises an important question: What happens if someone were to end up in the path of a soccer ball kicked by one of these robots?
AUTONOMOUS HUMANOID ROBOT SOCCER DEBUTS IN CHINA
Booster Robotics’ T1 humanoid robot lines up a soccer kick inside the company’s lab, where its shots hit with enough force to dent the wall. (Booster Robotics)
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What is the Booster T1 humanoid robot?
The Booster T1 is a humanoid robot from Beijing-based Booster Robotics. According to Booster, the T1 stands about 3 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs about 66 pounds. Booster says the T1 has 23 to 41 degrees of freedom, depending on the configuration. In everyday terms, that means it has enough moving joints to walk, turn, balance and perform athletic movements.
The company also says the T1 can walk for about two hours and stand for about four hours on a charge. It supports open-source tools, software frameworks and API interfaces. That makes it easier for teams to train the robot for new tasks. The company also says more than 50 robotics teams and research institutes already use the platform.
How robot soccer helps train humanoid robots
There is also a serious reason companies test robots this way. Soccer forces a humanoid robot to deal with movement, balance and split-second changes. The ball does not stay still. The robot has to adjust its body, shift its weight and decide what to do next. That makes soccer a useful test for machines that may one day work around people.
Those lessons can carry beyond the soccer field. A robot that learns how to recover from a fall or adjust to a moving object could be more useful in a warehouse, lab or disaster zone. That is why robot soccer has become a way for engineers to test how these machines handle pressure when the action does not go perfectly.
ROBOT PLAYS TENNIS WITH HUMANS IN REAL TIME
The soccer ball bounces back from the damaged lab wall after Booster Robotics’ T1 delivers a powerful kick. (Booster Robotics)
Booster T1 robot is built for developers
The T1 is meant for research and development. Booster positions the robot as a platform for schools, labs and robotics teams. Developers can use it to test software, train motion models and build new robot behaviors.
The company also offers RoboCup-related tools, including an open-source reinforcement learning framework and a demo system. That demo system covers perception, localization and decision-making for robot matches.
In other words, the T1 works like a serious robot body that developers can teach. That also explains why the wall-denting video is such a strong showcase. It shows the power, balance and control of these robots.
NEW CHINESE HUMANOID ROBOT SHOWS OFF ITS STRENGTH BY LIFTING 35 POUNDS PER HAND
Booster’s humanoid robot steps into a powerful kick, raising new questions about how much force these machines can safely use around people. (Booster Robotics)
Robot soccer power raises safety concerns
A robot strong enough to dent a wall can damage more than drywall. If a system fails, a powerful leg or arm could hurt someone nearby. That does not mean every humanoid robot poses a danger. It means companies need strong guardrails before these machines move into homes, hospitals, stores or public spaces.
Force limits matter. Emergency stops matter. Testing environments matter. Clear rules about where robots can operate matter. A robot in a lab can be impressive. A robot near the public needs a much higher safety bar.
RoboCup robot soccer has a bigger goal
Booster’s T1 is also part of the RoboCup world, which is basically an international robot soccer competition. But RoboCup isn’t only about robots kicking a ball around a field. The long-term goal is much bigger. RoboCup wants fully autonomous humanoid robots to eventually beat the human World Cup champions under official soccer rules.
That may sound like a wild idea. However, there is serious research behind it. Robot soccer forces teams to improve how these machines balance, see the field, react to movement and make decisions on their own. Booster says the T1 was built around robot soccer and RoboCup standards. The company also offers tools that help teams create robot soccer demos more quickly.
So, while robot soccer may look like a game, it is also helping engineers figure out how humanoid robots could become more capable in places far beyond the soccer field.
What this means for you
You may not care about robot soccer. Still, this kind of demo says a lot about the future of everyday robotics. Humanoid robots are learning to move with more confidence. They can balance better, recover faster and use their bodies with more force. That progress could eventually help with useful jobs, including warehouse work, elder care support or disaster response.
At the same time, stronger robots create new questions. Who checks their safety? Who sets the rules? Who is responsible when a robot breaks something or injures someone? The T1 video shows why the next phase of robotics really needs testing, transparency and accountability.
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Kurt’s key takeaways
This robot soccer video makes you stop and think. Booster Robotics’ T1 can kick a soccer ball with enough force to leave visible dents and impact marks in a wall. That to me is scary. It also raises a real safety question. As humanoid robots get stronger, companies will need to prove they can control that power around people. A robot kicking soccer balls in a lab is one thing. A robot near players, workers or bystanders is a very different story. Robot soccer may look like a game today. But it may also be showing us what tomorrow’s machines will be able to do. That is why it is important to keep an eye on this technology as it develops.
When you see a robot kick with this much force, does it make you excited about what is coming next, or worried about how safe these machines will be around people? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.
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Copyright 2026 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
Technology
Sealed Super Mario Bros. sells for a record $3 million
A copy of Super Mario Bros., still in the box and sealed with its original sticker, just sold at Heritage Auctions for $3 million. That absolutely crushes the previous record of $2 million, also for a copy of Super Mario Bros., in 2021. That sale also came hot on the heels of a controversial auction of Super Mario 64 for $1.56 million.
Part of what drove the price of this particular copy so high is that, according to Heritage Auctions, instead of shrink wrap, this 19895 second run was sealed with a glossy sticker, which was discontinued shortly after. The site claims it’s the earliest known sealed copy of the game in existence. It’s also graded at 9.6 A++ by Professional Sports Authenticator.
The price of vintage gaming collectibles has been skyrocketing over the last few years. It was only in July of 2020 that Heritage Auctions set the record for the highest price paid for a game at auction, again, with a copy of Super Mario Bros., for $114,000. Six years later, that seems like an absolute bargain.
If the winner of the auction decides to do the unthinkable and break the seal on the game, Heritage Auctions is throwing in an NES console.
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