There's been a very strange issue I've observed while using my phone over the last few months, and it's been slightly sinister enough that it's made me legitimately uncomfortable. I've tried doing as much research as I can, but I always wind up without an answer - So I though I would ask CoHost about it. The issue is as follows, and any insight would be appreciated.
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I place a phonecall to my financial institution. I use their phone number available in print, both on their cards, and on the paper bills/literature they send in the mail, so I strongly believe the number is legitimate.
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As soon as my call starts to connect, and I mean as soon as it starts to connect, I receive an incoming phonecall from a completely random number. This number changes every time I observe this phenomenon, and the area code is wildly different every time. Searching the number on Google typically yields between no and one result, and if there is a result, it is SEO garbage.
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Almost instantaneously, the incoming call disconnects. So quickly that it never registers as an incoming call, but is always listed as a missed call. The only way to even know it has happened is the call history. My call to the financial institution continues as normal, and is listed as being unbroken.
I absolutely have no idea what's going on, but apparently I'm not the only person who has seen this happen - There's a variety of posts on Reddit if one searches for them, and no one seems to have a consensus as to what's happening. Some suggest it is a bank feature to verify that an incoming call is coming from a non-spoofed number, by calling any incoming number to verify the line is busy. Some suggest it is absolutely a feature of the institution in question, though it spans multiple institutions from the reports, and doesn't seem to happen to everyone. Some suggest that this is absolutely evidence of phone malware, but my scans come up pretty clean so far. Also, if it's malware, I don't know why it'd leave this kind of weird evidence to trace? Though I suppose it can't be ruled out.
If anyone at all has insight as to what on earth this is that's going on, I would be in your debt for the explanation.