What exactly can they do with a recorded Yes?
Thanks for the link @gosmom I sent it to my parents!!
Like @jym626 – I have a landline, which is hooked to an answering machine – and is absolutely never answered. If it is a real person with a legitimate call they will leave a message.
With the cell phones I won’t answer if I don’t recognize the caller name or number. Same deal – they can leave a message if it is legit caller.
Still skeptical. Every news organization has picked up the story on the scam, but none seem to be reporting from “victims” who have had goods or services purchased on their behalf as a result of saying yes.
I received one of the “can you hear me” calls on my cell. (I don’t usually answer numbers I don’t know, but was waiting on a call from a subcontractor.) I didn’t say anything. There was a pause then “great!” and headed into some sales pitch. Hung up and blocked.
Here’s the Snopes article, labeling the actual scam unproven:
http://www.snopes.com/can-you-hear-me-scam/
I still have my landline, but most of the incoming calls are spam calls and caught by nomorobo. I’m thinking about just turning the ringer off and checking for messages a couple times a day. I want to keep the landline because cell phone coverage is spotty in our house and, since it is part of our cable bundle, the cost is negligible.
I think the “can you hear me” question is just to verify that an actual person has answered the phone. I agree with the snopes article that there isn’t really any way for the scammers to use this recorded “yes” to impose any legal obligations on you.
No way to impose legal obligation, but potentially a ton of opportunities to further harass unsophisticated folks. Scammers are not going to rely on the legal system to get what they need, but they can go further and demand something from you - that is their MO.