THE “YES” PHONE CALL SCAM

Melbourne certainly turned on the sunshine!

By now, you are probably aware that when you get calls saying your computer has a virus, or that your bank account has been hacked… you hang up!!!
If in doubt, always call your (bank/utilities) provider yourself on their direct number.

A few months ago, I heard of a “Yes” Phone Call scam that was circulating. Last week, I caught up with a friend who told me she had fallen for a scam, and it was the “Yes” Call scam!

“YES”

My friend missed several calls from a NSW number, and decided to call back. When she called the number, she was told it was “Client Benefits Services, please hold“… then an operator came on.

The operator asked my friend if her full name was “Jane Doe*” [*Name changed], to which my friend replied “Yes“.
Again the operator asked her if her name was “Jane*”
My friend replied “Yes” again

As the operator wasn’t understanding my friend, my friend hung up, and thought nothing of the call.

The next day when my friend went to pay for her coffee, her card was declined. She called up her bank, and was told that someone had tried to debit $4,000 from her account!! They had tried to scam her!

HOW DOES IT WORK?

According to ABC News and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the scam begins as soon as a person answers the phone. A recorded voice or actual person may ask a questions such as “can you hear me” (or in my friends case, “Is your name Jane Doe?”), to which the consumer responds “Yes”.

The caller then records the consumer’s “Yes” response and obtains a voice signature. This voice signature is later used by the scammers to pretend to be the consumer and authorise fraudulent charges via telephone.

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I RECEIVE A SCAM CALL?

I know it can be tempting to play along and waste their time, but just hang up!

If you receive a scam call, you can write down the number and file a complaint with the FCC so they can help identify and take appropriate action to help consumers targeted by illegal callers.

You can also block callers if they come through on your mobile phone – Tap on the caller information, and choose “Block this caller” – however they always seem to call on different numbers!

Please share this scam information with friends and family. It may seem obvious, but we know of several people who have been victims of phone scams in the past two weeks… it can happen to anybody!