Scam Alert: Never Say Yes

Never say yes refers specifically to phone calls, specifically from callers you don’t know.

If you say yes to a question like “can you hear me” or “did you receive you new Medicare card” the scammer has your spoken approval to bill you hundreds, even thousands of dollars for something you did not order, from a company you never heard of, which the scammer was calling about without telling you.

Scam Alert – Can You Hear Me Now

Telephone scams are nothing new, and they pre-date email scams. But illegal call centers are still busy phoning us, especially seniors, especially seniors who live alone.

They know who is a senior living alone because of what you post on social media, and because of recent hacks of healthcare.

Luckily, my phone provider identifies potential spam callers as just that – potential spam, and I ignore it.

Today, however, after the 8th or 10th call from my own area code – which spammers in Nigeria, Bangladesh, or wherever can mimic – I decided to answer one, just for curiosity.

Scam Alert – Spoofing

I answered in a high-pitched make-believe voice, so they couldn’t clone it with AI.

Me – Hello.

Caller – Is this Evelyn Kanter.

Me – Who is Calling?

Notice – I did not answer “yes”

Caller – Have you received your new Medicaid card?

Me – Who wants to know

Notice – I did not answer “yes”

Caller – I am disconnected.

End of story. Not quite.

My phone number has been on the Federal Do Not Call registry for years. As they say in Brooklyn, part of my hometown New York City, fuggedaboudit. Don’t rely on it.

Just don’t answer any call from a caller ID you do not recognize. And if you do, don’t say yes.

ecoXplorer tip –
I keep a loud whistle near my phone.
If I happen to answer one of these phone calls by mistake, I end the call with a couple of blasts of the whistle.
Oh. so sorry if I blasted your ear and caused you a hearing loss that ends your career as a telephone scammer.

ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is a journalist with 25+ years of experience as a newspaper and magazine writer, radio & TV news producer & reporter, and author of guidebooks and smartphone apps – all focusing on travel, automotive, the environment and your rights as a consumer.