Phone scams have been around for quite some time, but fraudsters keep coming up with increasingly sophisticated methods of deception.

The staff of Axar.az wants to draw your attention to a relatively new type of phone scam and asks you to read this article carefully!

If you answer the phone and a stranger asks, “Can you hear me?“ hang up immediately. The call is from a scammer who is after a recording of your voice (more precisely, a recording of you saying ”Yes“). Such a voice sample can then be used for making purchases or other financial transactions in your name.

In some cases, saying “Yes” represents signing a verbal contract — something that equals clicking ”I agree“ or ”I accept" during online shopping. These so-called voice signatures are legitimately used by many companies when it comes to asking a client to confirm account changes or money transfers.

Don’t answer phone calls from unfamiliar numbers. Picking up the phone lets the criminals know that your number is a valid one and can be used in fraudulent activity. Later on, your number might be resold to other scammers.

If you decide to answer a call from a stranger, try to remain cautious and skeptical, especially when being asked questions that entail a reply of “Yes.“ These questions might include: ”Can you hear me?“ “Is it convenient for you to talk right now?” ”Are you the homeowner?“ etc. A reasonable response to any of those questions should be: ”Who are you, and why do you want to know?"

Configure your phone to automatically switch calls from unknown numbers to voicemail. Scammers never leave voice messages.

Do not give your personal information to strangers, even if they claim to be employees of a company you know.

Even if you think that it is impolite to hang up on a stranger, think again! Sometimes this can be really helpful.