Can You Hear Me Scam: How It Works
Stop telemarketers calls. They have a bag of tricks that affect your credit card without you knowing it. Say your phone rings and you answer it. The other person says, “Can you hear me?” As weird as this may sound, do not respond. As a matter of fact, it’s even better to disconnect the call immediately because you have officially been identified as a target for the latest scam that is happening now. Don’t become a victim part of these shenanigans. How does the scam work?
Watch the video below to see the Can You Hear Me scam exposed in the news:
This incident was first reported of occurring last week and it spread like fire ever since. Authorities were quickly notified once it had been discovered.
The goal of the con-artists who are attempting these calls is to trick the victim to agree by saying “yes.” It is a natural response that many people, including you, give without thinking.
Little do you know, they are recording the phone call as telemarketers and they are hoping you will say “yes.” If you do, the they will take your verbalized recording and authorized charges on any of your accounts – regardless of the service they’re trying to sell you (even though you’re telling them you’re not interested).
This could include but is not limited to: credit card transactions, utility bills or even phone bills. They will take your recording and make it appear as if you were verbally agreeing to something that you didn’t.
However, it is naturally that yf you answer the phone and someone does happen to say the phrase, “Can you hear me?” you are probably going to have thoughts running through your head. You may be thinking, “Do I know this person?” or “Is it one of my friends?” You probably also assume that it is rude or impolite to disconnect the call not knowing who is on the other line. But generally that is not how conversations are started. Even if it is someone professional or even a friend or a family members, conversations just don’t start that way.
But let’s get to it. You are probably asking yourself how you can get charged if you did not provide your credit card number or checking account number or any information affiliated with your accounts. This con-artist (a sneaky telemarketer with unorthodox practices) who is contacting you clearly already has your phone number because they called you. Also, numerous companies will agree to accept a third party payment.
The scammer has also more than likely already hacked one way of another some of your personal information prior to calling you, or hired someone who provides lists like these. They may have collected your credit card number or your checking account number. They could also have your cable bill or phone bill of which they obtained from a data breach. If you, as the victim, try to dispute these charges, they the caller is going to try to prove that you agreed since they have you on a recorded line saying, “yes.”
If you even suspect that you may have been a potential target, be sure to check all your billing statements such as your phone and cable bill just to eliminate the possibility of any fraudulent charges or changes. Additionally, check all your bank and credit card transactions to ensure there have not been any fraudulent charges. If here happens to be something that appears out of the ordinary, do not be afraid to dispute it. Ask for proof.
The Federal Trade Commission is responsible for disputing any unauthorized credit card transactions and the Federal Communications Commission will handle any fraudulent charges on your phone bill.
Can You Hear Me – Stop Telemarketers Calls Scam: How To Avoid
If you have not been targeted yet for this scheme, that’s great news! But you still need to take the precautions to prevent this from happening to you. The best way to avoid these schemes is by contacting your phone provider and setting up the block feature. You can block telemarketers from calling. There are several different options, such as using the National Do Not Call directories in your country.
Some of them include having to provide a code before they can reach you. If you don’t want to do this for some reason, you can simply choose to just not answer the phone when you see an unfamiliar number on your caller ID. Let it go straight to your voicemail. Typically, a telemarketer or a scammer isn’t going to leave a message because they do not want to risk even potential of themselves possibly being traced.
If for some reason you just happen to answer a phone call for a number that you do not recognize, be extremely cautious and watch out for the signs. Be careful not to say, “yes” and watch out for questions that they may be asking you trying to coax you into saying it. They could be asking you certain questions to try and gain a positive response out of you.
They may not even say, “can you hear me?” They could choose to ask other questions that are open-ended that would result in you having a response of, “yes.” For example, they may ask if you are the head of the household or if you have any children. They may also ask if you are married. There are numerous possibilities so just be cautious. If you choose to respond, instead of saying, “yes,” apply with a full sentence such as, “why are you calling me?” or “do I know you?”
Additionally, if the caller claims to be with any type of government-affiliated agency, disconnect the call immediately. Any type of government official will not contact you by phone. Their only means of communication will be by mail. This includes offices such as the IRS, the court system, the Social Security office, the Department of Motor Vehicles or any other affiliate of the government.
Often times, con-artists identify themselves as a government official to try to scare you or in hopes to gain more information out of you. If you choose to answer the call, keep it as short as possible. The longer you talk, the more likely you are to say something you shouldn’t, which could result in you being a victim.
Telemarketing is something that has been around for years and crooks and becoming smarter and better every year. Unfortunately, there are also more of them every year. Always be cautious when you answer a phone call from an unknown number.
Can You Hear Me – Stop Telemarketers Calls Scam: How To Report
Make your family and friends aware of this scam by sharing it on social media using the buttons provided. You can also officially report the scammers to the Federal Trade Commission using the link below:
How to protect yourself more:
If you want to be the first to find out the most notorious scams every week, feel free to subscribe to the Scam Detector newsletter here. You’ll receive periodical emails and we promise not to spam. Last but not least, use the Comments section below to expose other scammers.
Verify a website below
Are you just about to make a purchase online? See if the website is legit with our validator:
vldtr®
I just had this YES thing happen to me! What can I do? I had a bad feeling from the start and didn’t listen to my gut. She said she was from Direct TV with a 3 month special promotion. I did get her name "Marjorie McKuen " and the number. The number was for direct tv but they had no knowledge of a promotion. I feel sick…….. how can people do this???
I just had this happen last week. I don’t recall how I responded, but I knew from the start it was a telemarketer. I have a business so it’s not good to never answer the phone :/
That’s a mean one.
Good thing this wasn’t used back in the day when I used to answer phone calls with "yes" lol