New scams are constantly surfacing, affecting individuals and businesses as scammers become more intelligent and innovative. Now that artificial intelligence (AI) has become more prominent in the last few years, scammers have found ways to use AI to scam people out of their money. One such scam, known as “Can You Hear Me Now?”, targets personal consumers, posing a significant and immediate threat to their financial security.
Here’s how easily this can be accomplished:
Scammers use a simple tactic: they call and ask, “Can you hear me now?” Hoping for a “yes” to record, they then misuse your voice for fraudulent activities like false charges. They might abruptly hang up or claim technical issues, often using robocalls. According to the Better Business Bureau, reasons for the call can range from banking to Medicare cards, with scammers posing as being from legitimate companies. They might already possess personal financial data from breaches or phishing.
Today, scammers can use AI to craft entire conversations, mimicking a victim’s voice. They source voice samples from social media videos and manipulate them with AI to deceive.
Consider some simple best practices to protect yourself from this scam:
- If a random person calls you and asks, “Can you hear me now?”, do not answer the question and hang up.
- Pay attention to the phone number that’s calling you. If you don’t recognize the number, don’t answer. Wait for the call to go to voicemail and listen to the voicemail if there is one.
- If you receive a call and the person immediately asks, “Can you hear me now?”, write down the phone number and report it to the Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker.
- Join the Do Not Call Registry to limit telemarketing and sales calls.
- Never provide personal information to an unexpected caller over the phone.
If you’ve been a victim of this scam, contact our Fraud Support team at 833-488-4723. You can also report this and other scams to the Better Business Bureau’s Scam Tracker. Your reports alert others, helping them avoid similar scams.
Learn more about fraud and other scams on our website here.
