The latest scam that we currently see surfacing in the Marshall County area is where you receive a phone call, and the caller asks you if you can hear them. They are wanting a “yes” reply from you, and the scam begins.
This scam has been around for a while, but I have only received our two reports just recently. The insert below gives you the appropriate action to take. The bottom line is to know who you do business with. Write phone numbers down with whom you bank with, or important numbers for you, so that you can easily reference them. If you do not recognize a phone number, don’t answer it period. If you have a landline phone, simply open the line and hang right back up. If it is a cell phone, don’t answer and let it go to voicemail. Put your important phone numbers in your cell phone, so that their names will appear when they call you. All other numbers not in your phone, simply don’t answer.
The “can you hear me” con is actually a variation on earlier scams aimed at getting the victim to say the word “yes” in a phone conversation. That affirmative response is recorded by the fraudster and used to authorize unwanted charges on a phone or utility bill or on a purloined credit card.
“You say ‘yes,’ it gets recorded and they say that you have agreed to something,” said Susan Grant, director of consumer protection for the Consumer Federation of America. “I know that people think it’s impolite to hang up, but it’s a good strategy.”
Finally a reminder about this time of year and the IRS. Remember , the IRS WILL NOT CALL YOU. Correspondence from the IRS will come in letter form only.
Thank you,
Sheriff Daniel A. Hargrave