General Chat

A new scam which as it is from neighbourhood watch may well be true.
Thought I would pass it on to you all.

Can you hear me?’ – Residents warned to hang up on new phone scam


People in Sussex are being warned of a new telephone scam which is currently sweeping the United States and is set to hit the UK... CPR Call Blocker, makers of a major selling call blocking device in the US and UK, is urging the public in Sussex to hang up if their phone rings and someone asks “Can you hear me?” as their answer to this simple question from an unknown caller could make them a victim of a scam. It works by the scammer recording you saying “yes” which is then edited to make it sound like you authorised a major purchase. It’s effectively a verbal contract, just like clicking ‘I agree’ on a computer.

It’s called a voice signature and is used legitimately by companies to show that you’ve agreed to some sort of a change, usually an upgrade in some sort of plan. CPR Call Blocker has seen this scam rise in frequency in the United States and say it’s just a matter of time before fraudsters start using it in the UK. In one variation of the scam documented in the US, the criminals may pretend to be from a holiday or home security company and will later bill you for products or services you never asked for. If you try to deny the charges, the scammers will play back your verbal confirmation “yes” and threaten to take legal action if you don’t pay.


In another variation, scammers may use the recording to authorise charges on a stolen credit card or with a utility company by tricking an automated system. The con artists may have already stolen other personal information through a data breach that would allow them to pass the security checks. Kris Hicks, of CPR Call Blocker, is urging the public in Sussex to simply put the phone down to unsolicited callers who pose that question: “Victims in the US have received a phone call from a familiar local area code and the other person on the other end of the line introduces themselves and their business. After the introduction, the person asks ‘Can you hear me?’ if the victim replies with ‘yes’, their response will be recorded for criminals to use. “I know that people think it’s impolite to hang up, but it’s a good strategy. If you don’t recognise the number, don’t answer. And if you do pick up, and they instantly start asking ‘Can you hear me? Are you there?’ as if they are trying to get you to say ‘yes’ to something, don’t say anything and hang up. It’s fishy, don’t fall into the trap.

“In our experience of working across the US and UK, scams spread quickly across the pond so it is sensible for people in Sussex to be on their guard as we have no doubt that fraudsters operating in the UK will soon start using these tactics.” Mr Hicks continued: “If you suspect you may have compromised your account, contact your bank or card provider as soon as possible. It also advisable to check your bank and card statements regularly for unauthorised charged as a matter of course.”
:-P
Keep safe Mayfield

That is really horrible because it is so easy to drop your guard and answer 'yes'. Thanks for the warning.

By the way snopes record it but mark it 'unproven', i.e. they have no proof from anybody who has fallen victim. Worth being alert to it though.

Bloody thing is if you answer the phone your instinct will be be to say who is it .no one would think someone was recording your reply . You would think WTF and hang up

I had a new one last night...usually you can tell when it's a robot calling you the voice is so obviously robotic....this one I only caught it as there was a delay before the robot replied it was trying to work out what it's response should be so I started saying rubbish down the line to confuse it....the kids thought I'd finally lost it....including things like just saying Brain dead.....it's a real human voice but pre-recorded and the robot picks the most likely answer to use .....so be aware....

We had warnings about that "Can you hear me?" scam about 3 weeks ago ...............

and yes, there have been victims.

Over here, it is said to be aimed at businesses, but individuals are getting caught as the dialing is done by computer, as per usual with these calls

Another way to avoid a lot of these scams is to NOT answer the phone on the first ring.

Wait until it rings a second or even third time ....................... by then some other person on the list of numbers dialed will have picked up the phone

Yes, you then end up holding a dead phone, but it's better than running the risk of getting caught by some of these scammers.