Scam alert-Can you hear me?

[displacedinMN]

http://www.kare11.com/money/consumer...ord_/394062372

MINNEAPOLIS -- A growing "can you hear me" phone scam may be the scariest scam yet because it can make you a victim if you say just one word.

"Yes."

This is how it works, according to the Better Business Bureau.

You receive a recorded call from someone who provides an introduction and identifies the business or agency they supposedly represent. After the introduction, the recording will ask if you can hear the caller clearly. If you answer "yes" there's a possibility that the scam artist behind the phone call has recorded you and will use your agreement to sign you up for a product or service and then demand payment. If you refuse, the caller may produce your recorded "yes" response to confirm your purchase agreement.

I think I got one of these a few weeks ago. Someone called and made it sound like they dropped their phone/ear piece. It was really real. I did not say much and have not had any weird things come up on a bill. Most calls I let go to voice mail unless I know the number.

Spoiler for length

Spoiler!

Teresa Thomas, who lives in Minneapolis and works out of her home, got that same call Thursday night.

“When a number I don’t recognize, I assume it’s a work call,” she recalled. "I saw that the area code was 612, so I thought it maybe somebody that needs me.”

But almost immediately something seemed up with a woman’s voice surprised she picked up.

“’Oh you’re there, can you hear me?’ And then I said, ‘Yeah’,” she said.

She hung because she realized it was a recording.

"I hadn’t even given it two thoughts and this morning I looked on Facebook and saw a post about it,” she said.

She wasn’t the only one. The Better Business Bureau received phone calls from people all over the country, said Dan Hendrickson with the BBB of Minnesota and North Dakota.

"Can you hear me? And the average person of course when asked that question they’ll say yes. That’s what the callers are looking for,” he said.

If you get a call like this, the BBB suggests the following:

• If you receive an unsolicited robocall from an organization or business, just hang up. If you are on the Do Not Call List and a company calls out of the blue to ask questions, it's likely a scam. Avoid responding with "yes, sure or ok."

• If you are asked a similar question in a phone call or are asked to press a button to be placed on the Do Not Call Registry, just hang up the phone. Saying anything or pressing buttons when prompted may help the scam artists identify that you have an active phone number. Remember that no government agency will ever solicit for the Do Not Call Registry.

• Write down the phone number of those callers violating the Do Not Call Registry and file a scam report with BBB Scam Tracker and the FTC's Do Not Call List. Remember that Pennsylvania's wiretapping law is a "two-party consent" law, making it a crime to intercept or record a telephone call or conversation unless all parties to the conversation consent.

Thomas is now watching her accounts much closer and has a message of her own.

"I guess you won’t be hearing me say yes on the phone immediately to people anymore,” she said.

[lewdog]

They target senior citizens.

Watch out Displaced.

[Rasputin]

Last year I got a call from a detective Brawm or something claiming I had a warrant out for my arrest for delinquent payment on a past loan years ago.

In some ways it was plausible I have a past outstanding loan from one of those payday fast cash trap and the only way I got out of the loop was just not paying them and cancel the check at the bank. Well that was 10 years ago or so it does leave a mark on my credit report until I decide to pay it off but it isn't a high priority but not for $1200 and all I had to do was pay him $600 and settle it and the detective would take care of my warrant for me. Seemed legit not.

[scho63]

Originally Posted by KC Tattoo

Last year I got a call from a detective Brawm or something claiming I had a warrant out for my arrest for delinquent payment on a past loan years ago.

In some ways it was plausible I have a past outstanding loan from one of those payday fast cash trap and the only way I got out of the loop was just not paying them and cancel the check at the bank. Well that was 10 years ago or so it does leave a mark on my credit report until I decide to pay it off but it isn't a high priority but not for $1200 and all I had to do was pay him $600 and settle it and the detective would take care of my warrant for me. Seemed legit not.

I'm confused on what check you cancelled

[Frazod]

If I don't recognize the number, or if the number shows up as blocked, I just don't answer. Ever. If it's a legit call, they'll leave a message. And if I get a second call from the same number, I'll block it.

[BlackHelicopters]

I'm no Sr Citizen, but this happened to me. Took months to untangle. Ever try to explain something to the phone company? Pure ****ing hell.

[Rasputin]

Originally Posted by scho63

I'm confused on what check you cancelled

I wrote a check for cash to get money lesser amount of my check so if I didn't come in to pay it with cash then they would cash it. Actually I don't remember if I cancelled the check or let it run through and bounce and had to pay the bank but I still owed the devil $450 because the bank didn't pay them.

It's easy to get caught up in them and they hook you because they know you will be in the next time pay them cash for the check but write another check because you need the money for bills. It's a cycle. I ended it by not going back in there.

[KranzDictum]

The minute they start on their speil I tell them to take me off their list and hang up.

[2bikemike]

I received a letter today from my bank that said they were canceling my accounts. Googled the number on the letter and sure enough it came up as a scam.

These bastards are getting trickier and trickier. I can't even imagine how many gullible people fall for these scams.

[scho63]

Originally Posted by KC Tattoo

I wrote a check for cash to get money lesser amount of my check so if I didn't come in to pay it with cash then they would cash it. Actually I don't remember if I cancelled the check or let it run through and bounce and had to pay the bank but I still owed the devil $450 because the bank didn't pay them.

It's easy to get caught up in them and they hook you because they know you will be in the next time pay them cash for the check but write another check because you need the money for bills. It's a cycle. I ended it by not going back in there.

Yes, they are sharks but you committed bank fraud. Bouncing a check can result in you being arrested if you do not make good on the check after being demanded to do so.

Can't say in your case that the person who called was really a police and not a collection agency but you better be careful they didn't file a charge against you that is outstanding.