HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — The Better Business Bureau is warning about a potential phone scam making its way around the Tampa Bay area.
Here's how it works: you answer the phone and hear the words “Can you hear me?” The BBB said to think twice before saying yes, because your response may be recorded.
This is no new scam. The BBB said they were first made aware of it back in 2017, but now it is making another round.
“With this type of call, it seems to relate to robocalling. These are automated systems that do mass dialing to many consumers, and it's a computer automated voice that asks that question," Bryan Oglesby with the BBB said. "It could be, 'Can you hear me?' It could be confirming who you are. What they’re trying to do is prompt you to say yes.”
The BBB said to be on your toes when answering a call from an unknown number. Now the real question is, what can they do with your voice recorded yes?
“What the concerns are is that the scammers or marketing companies could use that word yes to identify that they agreed to sign up for some kind of program or charges their credit card or maybe their cell phone bill," Oglesby said.
How can you protect yourself? Oglesby said do not answer any calls from unknown numbers. If you do pick up the phone and you are prompted to answer with "yes," either hang up or ask a question back.
“If you receive an unsolicited call, you should be prepared to say, 'May I ask who’s calling? What is this call about?' and not respond to their question to you,” he added.
If this sounds familiar and it has happened to you, Oglesby said there is no need to panic. He suggests being diligent with checking your credit card statement and phone bill to ensure there were no unauthorized charges.
If you receive a call like this, report it to the BBB Scam Tracker.
