My brother got a call that appeared to come from my number. A caller claimed to be holding me hostage, demanded money and threatened him if he hung up or called police. Police helped establish that it was fake.
The call isn't in my phone's log, but I've also had disappearing texts and storage problems. Could my phone have malware?
Caller ID can be spoofed without anyone accessing your phone. The call not appearing in your log is consistent with that, though it doesn't explain how the caller knew to contact your brother.
The missing texts and storage trouble are worth investigating separately. They aren't proof of malware, and the spoofed call alone doesn't establish that your phone was hacked.
For any future call like this, don't rely on the displayed number or the voice on the line. Try to reach the person directly using a known number or another trusted way, and contact police or emergency services if you can't confirm their safety. Don't send money while trying to verify the story.
A family password can help too, as long as everyone knows not to reveal it to a caller. It's one extra check, not a substitute for contacting the person or getting help.
Start with the phone symptoms before jumping to a reset. Check the storage breakdown in settings, make sure the operating system is updated, and note whether messages are disappearing from a particular conversation or app. A phone that's nearly full can behave oddly, but that doesn't tell you exactly what's causing this.
If the problems continue, back up anything you need and contact the phone maker's support. A factory reset may remove installed malware, but it also erases local data and isn't a diagnosis. Make sure you understand the backup and restore steps first.
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