What did you say "Yes" to? Contact your local police or sheriff department via the NON_EMERGENCY phone number (not 911) and tell them what happened. At least, someone in authority will have record of the scam. They also might already have heard about this scam and by hearing from another victim, some police and sheriff departments will call the local radio and TV stations and have the story about the latest scam added to the next news show.
I understand what Cheryl is talking about. There is a phone scam where someone asks you questions (like saying your name a few times, and of course, you say, "Yes?" when they do that, or they say, "can you hear me?" - and you say "Yes". The "Yes" scam is common just recently. Scammers record the call and your voice saying "yes" and use it to confirm consent to make purchases in your name.
There are tips from the FCC in this report from ABCNews about this scam: abcnews.go.com/Business/fcc-warns-consumers-phone-scam/story?id=46405703
If the post I made gets deleted because there was a link in it, search on "yes phone scam" - there's plenty of info on it.
Here's the text of that info I posted above:
The Federal Communications Commission is warning consumers about a new scam that is hooking consumers with just one word: Yes.
According to the FCC, the scam begins as soon as a person answers the phone. A recorded voice or an actual person asks: "Can you hear me?" And the consumer responds, "Yes."
"The caller then records the consumer's 'Yes' response and thus obtains a voice signature. This signature can later be used by the scammers to pretend to be the consumer and authorize fraudulent charges via telephone," an FCC news release said.
Officials Warn Consumers About Phone Scam
"According to complaints the FCC has received and public news reports, the fraudulent callers impersonate representatives from organizations that provide a service and may be familiar to the person receiving the call, such as a mortgage lender or utility, to establish a legitimate reason for trying to reach the consumer," the news release said.
Teresa Thomas, 49, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, said today that she'd received a similar phone call about a month ago.
"The person on the other line sounded like a young woman. She was giggling and she said: 'Oh, I didn't expect you to pick up! Can you hear me?'" Thomas said. "Which, of course, if someone asks if you can hear them, I said the logical thing and I said 'Yes.' And she proceeded to talk."
Thomas said she soon realized that the caller was a recording, hung up the call and then blocked the phone number. The next day, she learned of the scam on social media.
The FCC advised consumers to immediately hang up if they receive this type of call. It also said that if consumers had responded "Yes" to a similar call in the past, they should keep an eye on all financial statements for any unauthorized charges.
Thomas said that she'd been checking her credit-card and bank accounts and had reported the incident to the Better Business Bureau.
"I have not seen anything negative happen from that but it's just good to be aware," Thomas said.
The FCC also shared the following tips:
1. Don't answer calls from unknown numbers. Let them go to voicemail.
2. If you answer and the caller (often a recording) asks you to hit a button to stop receiving calls, just hang up. Scammers often use these tricks to identify, and then target, live respondents.
3. If you receive a scam call, write down the number and file a complaint with the FCC so we can help identify and take appropriate action to help consumers targeted by illegal callers.
4. Ask your phone service provider if it offers a robocall blocking service. If not, encourage your provider to offer one. You can also visit the FCC's website for information and resources on available robocall blocking tools to help reduce unwanted calls. Consider registering all of your telephone numbers in the National Do Not Call Registry.
Did you give out personal information or credit card or bank info? If not, I wouldn't worry too much. Like DeeAnna sked, what did you say yes to? Give us more details and you may get better answers.
There are tips from the FCC in this report from ABCNews about this scam: abcnews.go.com/Business/fcc-warns-consumers-phone-scam/story?id=46405703
Here's the text of that info I posted above:
The Federal Communications Commission is warning consumers about a new scam that is hooking consumers with just one word: Yes.
According to the FCC, the scam begins as soon as a person answers the phone. A recorded voice or an actual person asks: "Can you hear me?" And the consumer responds, "Yes."
"The caller then records the consumer's 'Yes' response and thus obtains a voice signature. This signature can later be used by the scammers to pretend to be the consumer and authorize fraudulent charges via telephone," an FCC news release said.
Officials Warn Consumers About Phone Scam
"According to complaints the FCC has received and public news reports, the fraudulent callers impersonate representatives from organizations that provide a service and may be familiar to the person receiving the call, such as a mortgage lender or utility, to establish a legitimate reason for trying to reach the consumer," the news release said.
Teresa Thomas, 49, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, said today that she'd received a similar phone call about a month ago.
"The person on the other line sounded like a young woman. She was giggling and she said: 'Oh, I didn't expect you to pick up! Can you hear me?'" Thomas said. "Which, of course, if someone asks if you can hear them, I said the logical thing and I said 'Yes.' And she proceeded to talk."
Thomas said she soon realized that the caller was a recording, hung up the call and then blocked the phone number. The next day, she learned of the scam on social media.
The FCC advised consumers to immediately hang up if they receive this type of call. It also said that if consumers had responded "Yes" to a similar call in the past, they should keep an eye on all financial statements for any unauthorized charges.
Thomas said that she'd been checking her credit-card and bank accounts and had reported the incident to the Better Business Bureau.
"I have not seen anything negative happen from that but it's just good to be aware," Thomas said.
The FCC also shared the following tips:
1. Don't answer calls from unknown numbers. Let them go to voicemail.
2. If you answer and the caller (often a recording) asks you to hit a button to stop receiving calls, just hang up. Scammers often use these tricks to identify, and then target, live respondents.
3. If you receive a scam call, write down the number and file a complaint with the FCC so we can help identify and take appropriate action to help consumers targeted by illegal callers.
4. Ask your phone service provider if it offers a robocall blocking service. If not, encourage your provider to offer one. You can also visit the FCC's website for information and resources on available robocall blocking tools to help reduce unwanted calls. Consider registering all of your telephone numbers in the National Do Not Call Registry.