If Someone You Don't Know Calls You And Asks You If You Can Hear Them, Don't Say A Word! Hang Up Immediately!

#1

It's something you do every day without thinking about it. When someone calls you and their signal is bad, they often ask "Can you hear me?" Your automatic reflex is to say "yes." Normally there is nothing out of the ordinary with that reply but now police are warning people that they should immediately end the call if a stranger asks you that question.

#2

A scam that is running rampant across the country these days has prompted law enforcement to send out a warning. By getting you to say "yes" unknown callers are scamming your left and right. They will ask you simple questions such as: Are you (insert name), are you the homeowner, can you hear them, and many more simple questions just to get you to say yes so they can record it.

#3

This recording and any other recordings made from your voice will allow the scammers to make purchases in your name. Any time that voice authorization is required, the scammer will just use your recorded voice to verify that they are you. This can include money transfers, loans, mail orders and more.

#4

Just think about how the iPhone's Siri and Amazon Echo use your voice to control things in your everyday life. Now imagine putting that power into the hands of a scammer in this digitally connected age. Pretty scary right?

#5

Phone scammers are also finding ways to use your voice as proof that you have made super expensive purchases for them. That way you are forced to pay for their spending. At times debt collectors even become involved.

#6

When the debt collectors get involved your credit rating suffers. If your credit rating suffers you may find it hard to find a job or a place to live. A low credit score can prevent you from getting insurance or loan approval. So, as you can see, what these scammers are doing has some pretty steep ramifications all around.

#7

The victims of these scammers often pay up because they have no idea how to effectively handle debt collectors or defend themselves from their claims. In order to avoid getting scammed you should never take a call from an unknown number. Send them directly to your voicemail if you have it. Don't ever give them any personal information even if they say they are legitimate. Hang up and call the actual company if you feel that anything is out of the ordinary.

#8

Don't fall for scammers tricks. As you can see from the following example, scammers will stop at nothing to get your information so it's up to you to prevent them from doing as they please. Don't back down to them.

An American man became increasingly suspicious and finally hung up when it became crystal clear that the caller only wanted to hear him say the word "yes." The scammer called back again, this time threatening him with a $500 fine for hanging up! "If you hang up again you will be automatically charged $500! Don't do it again!" said the scammer. The American man refused to give in and hung up again.

#9

It should be no surprise that scammers are taking technological advances and warping them for their nefarious purposes. Always stay two steps ahead of the criminals by keeping up to date on the newest tricks and scams.

#10 Police are offering the following advice to keep yourself from falling for scams like this:

1. Do not to ever answer numbers that show up as “unknown” on your phone. Send them to voicemail. If you do answer it, don't answer any questions, especially if they require you to say “yes.” Turn it around on them and ask them a question instead, like “Who are you and why do you want to know?

2. Hang up if an unknown call has made you feel uncomfortable.

3. Don't ever give personal information out to anyone. If the call is unknown and they claim to be from your financial institution or insurance company simply ask to speak to a manager or hang up and call your bank yourself.

4. Set your phone to send all unknown and anonymous calls to voicemail. All modern smartphones have this option so you should take advantage of it. Scammers will rarely ever leave voicemails.

Share this story with all your friends and family so that they too can avoid getting scammed.