Scam warning: Just answering may leave you a victim
SYRACUSE, NY (WSYR) – The Better Business Bureau is warning that a new scam can make you a victim just by answering the phone.
According to the BBB, the “Can You Hear Me?” scam uses a recording to prompt a “Yes” response from you.
They say that simple response can be recorded, and may, in turn, be used to sign you up for a product or service.
The scammers can then demand payment.
If the payment’s refused, the scammers reportedly may use your “Yes” to confirm the agreement.
The BBB offers the following advice to people who receive a similar call:
- If you receive an unsolicited robocall from an organization or business, just hang up. If you are on the Do Not Call List and a company calls out of the blue to ask questions, it’s likely a scam. Avoid responding with “yes, sure or ok.”
- If you are asked a similar question in a phone call or are asked to press a button to be placed on the Do Not Call Registry, just hang up the phone. Saying anything or pressing buttons when prompted may help the scam artists identify that you have an active phone number. Remember that no government agency will ever solicit for the Do Not Call Registry.
- Write down the phone number of those callers violating the Do Not Call Registry and file a scam report with BBB Scam Tracker and the FTC’s Do Not Call List. Remember that Pennsylvania’s wiretapping law is a “two-party consent” law, making it a crime to intercept or record a telephone call or conversation unless all parties to the conversation consent.
Additional information can be found at BBB.org.