Can you hear me? It is a common question people ask both in person and during phone conversations. One minute you are talking away and the next the line breaks up and you say hey can you hear me? Did you know that one simple question can help a scammer steal your information or make a purchase on your behalf? In a can you hear me scam, the victim receives a call from an unknown number. The person on the other end of the line almost immediately asks, “Can you hear me”? They want the victim to answer Yes, which to be honest is what most people instinctively do. However, with this type of scam, as soon as the victim says yes, the caller hangs up. That “person” who called might in fact be a robocaller recording the conversation. That yes answer could be later edited to make it sound like the victim authorized a purchase. The yes answer could also just be a confirmation to the scammer that the phone number they called is a legit working number. They will then use that number for all sorts of phone scams. Other variations of the scam might be a caller asking “Is this (your name)” or some other question where the answer will be yes. No matter the question, as long as the answer is yes, there is a potential for your voice to be recorded for use at a later date. It happens a lot to elderly people. They tend to be more likely to answer calls from an unknown number, and scammers know this as well. The FCC previously issues a unanimous ruling making AI generated voiced in robocalls illegal. Scammers may also use your voice’s “Yes” recording to authorize charges on your phone, which is called cramming, and is illegal as well.
Here is some advice from the BBB (Better Businesses Bureau):
- Use Caller ID to screen calls. You don’t have to answer calls from unknown or unfamiliar numbers. If it is important, they will leave a message and you can call back.
- Just hang up! If someone from an unknown number calls and says “Hey, can you hear me” or “Is your name ______”, just hang up the phone. Be aware of any type question designed to make you say yes.
- Make a note of the number and report it at https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker to help warn others. BBB shares Scam Tracker information with other government agencies, each piece of information helps track down scammers.
- Join the Do Not Call Registry (DoNotCall.gov) to cut down on telemarketing and sales calls.
- Check your bank and credit card statements often for unauthorized charges. Report anything unauthorized or suspicious to the bank as soon as possible.
