Beware of the Can You Hear Me? Scam

The “Can You Hear Me?” scam is a clever social engineering tactic that scammers use to trick unsuspecting victims into talking so they can record it and use it for fraudulent purposes later on. This scam has been around for several years now and has reportedly affected thousands of people, so it’s important to be aware of how it works so you can avoid falling victim.

How the Scam Works

The scam usually starts with a phone call from an unknown number. When you answer, the scammer will ask a simple question like “Can you hear me?” or “Are you there?” These types of innocuous questions are meant to prompt you to respond.

Once you start talking, the scammer now has a voice recording of you saying this single word. While it may seem harmless, this recording can actually be quite dangerous in the wrong hands.

With just that recording, scammers can use voice cloning technology to recreate your voice and then use it to authorize fraudulent charges or access personal information. For example, they could call your bank posing as you and use the fake voice recording to verify identity and make transfers or withdrawals from your account.

Scammers can also use the recording to scam your friends and family by asking for money or personal information over the phone while impersonating your voice. This makes the scam seem even more convincing and legitimate.

How to Protect Yourself

The best way to avoid this scam is to simply not answer calls from numbers you don’t recognize. But if you do find yourself on one of these calls, do not say “yes” or really anything at all. Instead:

Hang up right away if the caller asks you a simple yes or no question you weren’t expecting.
Never confirm your identity over the phone with an unsolicited caller.
Contact your phone carrier and have them block the number.
Monitor your financial accounts closely for any suspicious activity.
Warn loved ones about the scam so they don’t fall for it if the scammers target them next.
Consider registering your phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry to reduce unwanted calls.

The key is recognizing these kinds of calls as scams right away so you can shut them down before the scammers get what they’re after.

What Scammers Can Do with Your Voice

Thanks to advances in AI technology, scammers can do a lot of damage with just a short voice recording these days. Here are some of the things they can do:

Use voice cloning to recreate your voice - With just a few minutes of your voice, scammers can use AI to generate a cloned version that sounds just like you. This fake voice can then be used to impersonate you on phone calls.
Access personal information - Scammers can call banks, utilities, or other businesses and use the cloned voice to verify identity and gain access to your personal and financial information.
Make unauthorized purchases - Your cloned voice could be used to make purchases over the phone or authorize money transfers from financial accounts.
Scam your contacts - Loved ones like family and friends are prime targets after scammers clone your voice. They can pretend to be you asking for money or personal information.
Commit identity theft - With enough personal info gained from your voice, scammers may be able to commit full-on identity theft by applying for loans or services in your name.

The bottom line is never give out voice recordings or confirm your identity over the phone with unknown callers. One simple “yes” could lead to your voice being used to scam you out of money or gain access to sensitive personal data. Stay vigilant against this insidious scam.

Make sure to check out our other scam guides.