If you receive a call and the caller asks, “Can you hear me?” you might end up a victim to fraud if you say, “Yes.” It’s the latest phone scam targeting people across the country, according to the Ulster County District Attorney’s Division of Consumer Affairs.
Scammers are using robots to call and secretly record you. The answers you give them are then used against you — and your wallet. Here is an example:
Caller: “Hi, this is Josh from the consumer department — can you hear me OK?”
If you answer “Yes,” it’s secretly recorded. Later, the scammer calls back demanding payment, using the recording as proof that you agreed to pay for goods or services.
Scammers are using local numbers. Ulster County Consumer Affairs advises screening calls or simply hanging up on a pre-recorded sales call or if someone asks, “Can you hear me?”
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