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Just when you thought you’d heard it all when it comes to telephone scams, we have bad news for you. In a recent development, sophisticated automated phone calls are phoning to record your voice and using it to steal your cash.
The call often starts out at with a person selling a service, talking quickly and not allowing for a response. Towards the end of the call, an abrupt ‘Can you hear me?’, sounds. If you unconsciously say ‘yes’, well my friend, you have been scammed.
The scammers on the other side of the phone will record your response and edit it to make it sound like you’ve agreed purchase something. This could lead to hundreds of dollars in charges.
The Better Business Bureau has reported that this is one of the most common scams to occur in the last year. In some cases, the question will come right at the beginning of a call before people realise it is a computer. It is suggested if you get a call like this, even if they ask another question, hang up.
Nancy Cahill of the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre says, “The best way to protect yourself is to not answer calls from unfamiliar phone numbers or any from unknown number.” It is also suggested to contact a local fraud prevention agency and if you want to go one step further, apps such as NoMoRobo on iOS will identify if an unknown number is a telemarketer or robocall.
