Your phone rings. You answer but all you hear is silence. You say hello once again, but still, silence.

You listen for a bit and hear nothing. Then hang up. Guess what? A robot just stole all the information it could about you from your phone.

The Federal Trade Commission says these robo-calls are the number one consumer complaint they receive, and even more of these calls keep coming. The experts are warning consumers that this call is one of the first steps in fraud that can lead to identity theft.

Wondering how it works? Check out 5 ways below:

Photo: WJBQ.com
Photo: WJBQ.com
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  1. Your phone rings with an out of state or 1-800 number and you answer, “Hello?”
  2. The call stays silent. Any noise from your end of the phone signals that your phone number is an active line. Even a cough can trigger the caller to record your phone number as an active line.
  3. Once your number is confirmed as active, it is sold to criminal rings.
  4. The criminal rings will call or leave messages, asking you to call a 1-877 number which prompts you to provide personal information.
  5. The personal information is used to check your bank account balances and change your account address so fraudsters can control your account.

Just so you know, if you call the 1-877 number from a different phone number or have the police call for you, the message will say the number is deactivated. This of course, then makes it difficult to catch the criminals.

Honestly, the best way to protect your information is to hang up right away and whatever you do, don’t press any numbers! I would advise you to then block the number and report it to FTC.gov.

These phone calls are illegal. So report it when it happens and protect yourself.

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