Scam Alert: Can You Hear Me Phone Fraud

Scam alert: Thieves want to record your own voice to rip you off.

Beware of callers who ask, Can you hear me? Are you a homeowner? Or another other question designed to make you say “yes”.

It’s an old scam – it’s been around for a decade.  While it never really went away, it’s back full-time.

It works this way:

The scammer is recording you.  If you answer “yes”, they’ve got you on tape, to use your own voice as evidence you agreed to a purchase.

Then you are billed hundreds of dollars for something you never ordered – and you can’t fight it because you said “yes”.

Never say the word “yes” no matter what the question is.

Consumer protection experts say the scammer then plays back your so-called “agreement” to a purchase of some kind, and instructs you to pay up via wire transfer, gift card, or money order, never a credit card, since that payment can be traced.

Scammers often target older people living alone, which is why the AARP is also warning about the phone fraud.

According to CNET, The Detroit Free Press reports the Better Business Bureau has fielded complaints from dozens of people, as far back as 2017.

Protect Yourself From Telephone Scams

It’s simple to protect yourself.

Don’t answer calls from numbers you don’t recognize. 

That can be difficult, since a scam call often comes in from an area code you recognize as a place where you have long-distance family, friends or business associates.

That’s another scam, called “neighbor spoofing”.  We warned you about it here.

The tell-tale sign of a scammer is that there is no sound immediately, since these crooks are using programs that call multiple numbers simultaneously, and it takes a moment for the software to switch to the phone that actually answers – yours – and set up the recording.

If you do answer a scam call, do not say the word “yes” no matter what the question is.

I keep a whistle by my phone, and if it’s a robocall or other scam call that I answered by mistake, thinking it was somebody I know or a call I was expecting, I blow out the caller’s eardrums.

If you don’t have a whistle, it’s a great opportunity to scream, or use every four-letter word your mother told you never to say.

Just never say yes.

Never say the word “yes” no matter what the question is.

This article was published originally in 2017 and has been updated for 2025.