Enough with the fake news, let’s talk about fake phone calls. As technology advances, so do the schemes of scammers and con-artists – ugh. For decades, callers have received persistent, unrelenting calls from voices they do not recognize or companies they have never heard of. Now, scammers are using technology to sound authentic and trustworthy. Through the use of artificially intelligent voice recognition software, they use phrases and prompts to trick you into having a conversation.
The latest scam is rather simple, and that’s why it’s worrisome. NBC News shares, “Here’s how it works. Your phone rings and you hear someone say ‘can you hear me now?’ or some variation. If you say ‘yes,’ the system records your response and uses it to make it sound like you agreed to their service. You could then get hit with unexpected charges.
This scam is hot. The BBB reports that for the last few days of January more than half of the reports to the BBB scam tracker have been about this ripoff.”
How easy would it be to answer, “yes,” just out of reflex?
Be aware and cognizant of these types of solicitation. Next week, we’ll share some tips on how to protect yourself against these types of calls and schemers!