'Can You Hear Me' Scam Reported in Oak Creek

OAK CREEK, WI — An Oak Creek resident on Lois Lane came into the police department on Feb. 11 to speak with an officer after the resident reportedly received several calls from the "can you hear me" telephone scam.
According to the police report, the resident received several phone calls from a 262 number related to a robo call regarding the extended warranty on a vehicle.

The man told police that when she answered "yes" to a number of the automated questions, the phone call disconnected.

Police advised the resident to monitor his financial accounts. When police attempted to dial the same 262 number the man reported to police, it reportedly went straight to an automated message regarding "do not call" lists.

What to do in the event of a scam call:

On its website, the Better Business Bureau offered the following advice to consumers to avoid the Can You Hear Me? Scam:

• If you don’t recognize the number, don’t answer your phone. Legitimate contacts will leave messages. Even if a scammer leaves a message, this will give you time to think about what is being asked of you.
• Hang up on unsolicited robocalls from organizations and businesses. If you’re already on the Do Not Call Registry, it’s likely a scam, the BBB says. Don’t answer any calls in the affirmative, with answers such as “yes,” “sure,” “OK” or anything similar.
• If you are asked a similar question in a phone call, or are asked to press a button to be placed on the Do Not Call Registry, don’t speak or push the button. The BBB says that either response tells the scammer your phone number is active. Government agencies don’t solicit for the Do Not Call Registry, the BBB said.
• In this scam, or in any others, don’t give out any personal identifying information.
• If you think you’ve already been had, contact your bank and credit card companies and ask them to flag your account. Check your account daily. The earlier you identify fraudulent charges, the easier it is to get your money back.

Write down the phone number of those callers violating the Do Not Call Registry and file a scam report with BBB Scam Tracker and the Federal Trade Commission’s Do Not Call List.

image/shutterstock