AG's office warns of 'Can you hear me?' scam

TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) - "Can you hear me?" That's the question criminals want you to answer in a phone scam circulating across southern Arizona right now.

Tucson's Better Business Bureau said 69 percent of their nationwide Scam Tracker reports have been about this scam.

We know not to give out our personal information over the phone – but in this new twist all you have to say is "yes" and you could be out thousands of dollars.

"Just sounded like my neighbor," Jennifer Phelps said.

Phelps got a call from a local number, as she picked up the phone the woman on the other end asked her a simple question.

"It was a person saying, "Can you hear me?" And it sounded friendly and it sounded like they had a real question," Phelps said.

But Phelps felt something wasn't right so she hesitated. The Better Business Bureau said criminals may also put static on the line or mention a bad connection.

"I'm having issues with my headset; can you say that, can you hear me? They're just doing different ploys until someone actually answers them," Susann Miller, Communication Manger for Tucson's Better Business Bureau said.

Once you've said "Yes" scammers will hang up. They've recorded your response that can later be edited to make it sound like you authorized a major purchase. They can also use that "yes" to rack up charges on your credit card.

"They've already stolen other elements of your information – they're using the yes as an additional piece to really push it over the edge," Miller said.

Phelps is hoping no one else will fall victim to this scam.

"Hurting people who are vulnerable – that's what's really upsetting," Phelps said.

If you receive one of the calls, the BBB says hang up right away and report the number to their Scam Tracker. Also, keep a close on your bank and credit card statements, and with this scam hitting our area so hard, the BBB says check it every day. The BBB says consider joining the Do Not Call Registry at DoNotCall.gov to cut down on telemarketing calls.

If you believe you have been a victim of consumer fraud, you can file a complaint with the Attorney General's Office, online CLICK HERE, or by phone to the Attorney General's Office in Phoenix at (602) 542-5763, in Tucson at (520) 628-6648, or outside the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas at (800) 352-8431.

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