Folks become a victim of "one word" in this latest scam, law enforcement says.
If someone you don't know calls and asks, "Can you hear me?," police are urging folks not to answer the question and immediately hang up the phone.
In this latest phone scam, published reports say scammers get unsuspecting victims to say "Yes," and then record their voices as a way to authorize charges on phone, utility or credit card bills.
CBS News is reporting the scam has affected victims across Virginia and Pennsylvania.
"You say 'yes,' it gets recorded and they say that you have agreed to something," Susan Grant, director of consumer protection and privacy for the Consumer Federation of America, told CBS News. "I know that people think it's impolite to hang up, but it's a good strategy."
Officer Jo Ann Hughes with the Norfolk (Va.) Police Department told WTKR-TV often the scammer uses a familiar area code when calling.
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In some cases, police say the scammer may have collected personal information about the victim already to allow them to access credit card or other utilities as a result of a data breach. When the victim disputes the charge, the scammer then uses that audio recording to prove "consent" of the unwanted charges on a credit card or other bill.
Those who are victimized are urged to report the crimes.
CBS News reports victims also can dispute unauthorized credit card charges by contacting the Federal Trade Commission. If the charge hits a phone bill, the Federal Communications Commission regulates phone bill "cramming."
Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.