Understanding the "Can You Hear Me?" Phone Scam: Myth or Reality?
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Chapter 1: The Emergence of the "Can You Hear Me?" Scam
The "Can You Hear Me?" scam, which allegedly uses a simple "yes" to authorize fraudulent activities, has raised concerns among consumers. However, actual reports of financial loss from victims are notably scarce, suggesting that this scam might be more myth than reality.
Photo by Jonas Leupe on Unsplash
Section 1.1: What Is the "Can You Hear Me?" Scam?
This scam first gained attention in early 2017 when major newspapers in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia began highlighting a new method of scamming consumers, known as the "can you hear me?" or "yes" scam. Local law enforcement and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) issued warnings about this tactic, which emerged alongside the rise of robocalls.
Scammers initiate calls to random individuals, posing a question like "Can you hear me?" The aim is to elicit a positive response, such as "yes." According to the BBB, this affirmative reply could be misused by fraudsters to claim that the victim has consented to pay for a product or service.
CBS News reported that the "yes" response is recorded and later used by the scammers to authorize fraudulent payments without the victim's actual consent. Susan Grant, the director of consumer protection at the Consumer Federation of America, explained to CBS News, "You say 'yes,' it gets recorded, and they say that you have agreed to something."
As the news of this scam circulated, numerous reports emerged from consumers claiming they had received such calls.
Section 1.2: Case Study: Alleged Victim's Experience
In a rare instance, KOMO News featured a Seattle man who claimed he fell victim to this scheme. After responding "yes" during a call about a California resort, he later discovered an unauthorized charge of $100 on his credit card for a hotel in California. He believes the two incidents are connected, though the article does not provide details on other potential explanations for the charge.
Chapter 2: Analyzing the Feasibility of the Scam
The first video titled "What the 'can you hear me' scam is and how it works" delves into the intricacies of this scam, discussing its mechanics and the implications for consumers.
Despite the widespread warnings and anecdotal examples, experts argue that the "Can You Hear Me?" scam may not be as viable as it appears. For one, it is practically impossible for scammers to make purchases merely by replaying a recorded "yes" without possessing additional personal information about the victim.
Moreover, there is a significant absence of documented cases where individuals lost money due to this scam. Fact-checkers have scrutinized the claims surrounding the scam, with Snopes categorizing it as unproven based on their investigations, while the Australian AAP FactCheck deemed it a hoax. Queensland Police informed AAP that the scam could only succeed if the perpetrator possessed detailed personal information about the target, such as identity and address.
In essence, robocalls like these primarily serve to verify whether a phone number is active, allowing scammers to sell that information to others. Nevertheless, the underlying issue this scam highlights is the potential of bots and AI to mimic human speech, complicating the task of distinguishing between genuine and fraudulent communications.
The second video titled "'Say Yes' phone scam is back warns Better Business Bureau" discusses the resurgence of similar scams, providing insights and tips for consumers to safeguard themselves against such tactics.