FROM:
HOLLEY CARNRIGHT
DATE:
FEBRUARY 6, 2017
RE:
PRESS RELEASE - “CAN YOU HEAR ME?” PHONE SCAM ON THE RISE
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 okay?”
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 to get you to pick up. 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?”
