‘Can You Hear Me Now?’ Phone Scam
Crooks are usually not known for their brains, but this new scam is surprisingly intelligent. It involves a question we have heard on TV millions of times.
With our cell phone signals always changing, we have all become accustomed to hearing the question "Can you hear me now?" Even with that guy changing companies, we almost automatically answer this question, whether we know the person or not. This is where you can get into trouble.
A new scam out there has a recorded voice saying it can't hear you and asks if you can hear them. You answer with a simple "yes" and that is where you get into trouble. How can a thief use this against you?
Many companies that take orders over the phone are protecting themselves by recording your voice agreeing to a sale. The seller lists all of the terms of the deal and asks if you agree to them. You answer with a simple word. The same word that the scammers recorded from you.
If you receive an unsolicited call and they voice asks you if you can hear them, hang up the phone. The will keep you out of trouble from using such a simple word to answer a familiar question. Who knew crooks could be so smart?
[CBS News]