‘Can you hear me?’ Don’t say yes, Chatham Police warns

Bradley Zimmerman
·2 min read

CHATHAM, Ill. (WCIA) — The Chatham Police Department and the Better Business Bureau are warning of the return of a common telephone scam.

It’s the “Can you hear me?” scam, officials said, and it’s designed to trick the call recipient into instinctively saying “yes.” Scammers have used this tactic for years and it’s one that the BBB recently issued an alert about, warning of its return to phone lines.

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The BBB said other versions exist where the question is “Is this [your name]?” or some other yes/no question, but the end goal is the same: tricking the victim into saying yes. Usually, scammers will hang up immediately after getting a response or claim to have trouble with their handset and say they’ll call back, but some consumers have reported being told about banking concerns, vacation packages, warranties and Medicare cards.

Scammers utilizing this tactic usually record the call, the BBB said, and use the recorded response to make a major purchase. Further conversation after the “yes” could result in attempts to steal personal information or further recording of the victim’s voice. In addition, a reply could confirm to the scammer that they reached a real working number, opening the victim to further scam calls.

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The BBB offered the following tips to avoid being scammed:

  • Use Caller ID and consider not answering numbers one doesn’t recognize. If it is urgent, the caller will call back.

  • If one does answer a call that prompts a yes/no answer, just hang up without saying anything

  • Make note of the number and report it to the BBB Scam Tracker

  • Join the Do Not Call Registry to limit telemarking and sales calls. This might not cut down on scam calls, but it will cut down overall calls

  • Check bank and credit card statements regularly and look for charges you didn’t make

Chatham Police asked that people spread the word about the return of this scam, adding that they’ve taken reports of Chatham seniors being scammed out of thousands of their dollars.

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