Watch Out For The ‘Can You Hear Me?’ Phone Scam Happening Now

“Can you hear me now?””Is that you?””Are you there?”

If someone asks you such a question in a normal conversation, the polite thing to do is to let the person know that you heard them clearly.But if someone asks you this question while receiving a call from a random phone number, beware.

That’s because, according to the latest alert from the Better Business Bureau, a nonprofit organization that tracks bad ads and customer complaints in North America, these problems are signs of a fast-growing scam.

Melanie McGovern, director of public relations and social media for the BBB, said the number of people expressing concern about the scam has increased since mid-March.

The scam works as follows.A stranger will call and ask “Can you hear me?” and then ask you to answer “Yes”.and then asks you to answer “yes”.They may pretend to be a government official or a bank representative to keep you on the line, but they usually hang up shortly after you confirm that you are listening.This is because their goal is to get you to say “yes” so they know there is someone on the other end of the line.

Since they know you’re likely to respond in the future, scammers may continue to contact you and then try to “trip you up” when you’re less focused on what they’re saying.

Conversations with a random number that begins with “Can you hear me?”A conversation with a random number beginning with “Can you hear me?” is suspicious “because it’s completely outside the typical conversation cycle.”

But before you panic, you should note that the BBB says there have been no reports of monetary losses following these “Can you hear me?”calls, no monetary losses have been reported.

In the worst-case scenario, the nonprofit says, scammers may use a recording of you saying “yes” to authorize charges on your phone.This is known as “stuffing fraud,” and once the bad guys have your information, they “stuff” your bill with unauthorized charges for services.

You never know how the audio of you saying “yes” will be used, spliced into any call with a bank, or with a credit card company to open a line of credit

But Amy Nofziger, director of victim support for the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Fraud Watch Network, says, “Can you hear me?”The question itself doesn’t cause much panic.

There is no evidence in the AARP database that the answer to that question is related to filler exams or money scams.No one here is going to say “I lost $50,000” because of the so-called “Can you hear me?”scam.

Instead, Nofziger said consumers should be more concerned about imposters or gift card scams, which can actually cause significant monetary loss and emotional trauma to victims.So if a caller continues to talk to you beyond asking, “Can you hear me?”You should be even more concerned if the caller continues to talk to you beyond asking “Can you hear me?”.

Do they ask you for personal information?Are they asking you for cryptocurrency ATMs?Are they asking you for prepaid gift cards?Then it’s 100% a scam.

When you receive a “Can you hear me?” call from an unknown number, do the following.call from an unknown number, do the following.

Worrying about whether your privacy and personal information has been compromised can be stressful.But there are steps you can take to put your mind at ease:

Stay calm.

I see people panicking because when someone asks “can you hear me?”When they answer “yes”, we have to discourage them.

Scammers succeed when they put you in a state of fear and anxiety, because then you stop listening to common sense.We don’t want people to act in this fear mode.

So if a random caller makes you feel worried, take a deep breath before volunteering information to a stranger that they want to know.

When a stranger asks if you heard them, instead of answering “yes,” turn the question around and ask them, “Why are you asking?”

That way, you’ll be able to take back control of your phone and device.

Even if they claim to know you, be vigilant.

If a caller calls out your name, you shouldn’t let your guard down.There is a lot of information that can be gleaned from public records and social media.

Scammers will want to establish a familiarity with you so that you provide more information than usual.

Do not engage.

One way to avoid saying the wrong thing is to let calls from unfamiliar numbers go to voicemail.That way, you have more time to determine if the call is genuine.

It is not recommended to try to talk to someone you suspect is a scammer.If you do, they will continue to call you because they know you are a real person.

If it’s an important call, like a doctor’s appointment, they’ll leave you a message.

Perform due diligence on your account.

If you are concerned about possible fraud, check your bills and credit card statements for unauthorized charges.If fraud does exist, you can file a consumer complaint with your local Attorney General’s office.