The "Can you hear me?" scam: myth vs reality

You answer, and a friendly voice asks, "Can you hear me?" You say "yes." Since 2017, warnings have spread that scammers record that "yes" and use it to sign you up for charges. The reality is less dramatic, but these calls are still worth handling carefully.

How the call usually goes

The caller (often a recording made to sound like a person, sometimes with a small cough or a laugh) opens with a question designed to get a quick "yes": "Can you hear me?", "Is this the homeowner?", "Is this [your name]?" Then it moves into a pitch: a vacation, a warranty, a medical alert device, a "final notice."

The warning

In 2017 the FCC put out a consumer alert about these calls, warning that a recorded "yes" might be used as a "voice signature" to authorize fraudulent charges by phone, and advising people to hang up and check their statements. News outlets and police departments repeated the warning widely, and versions of it still circulate today.

The reality

A recording of you saying "yes" is not a key to your money. To charge you, a scammer still needs a way to bill you: a card number, a bank account, or an account with a company that accepts phone orders. A single word, out of context, doesn't give them that. Consumer reporters looked into the warning after it spread, and we're not aware of documented cases where a recorded "yes" on its own was used to steal from someone.

That doesn't mean these calls are harmless. The real risks are more ordinary:

• It confirms a live, responsive person. Answering and talking marks your number as worth calling again, and it may be sold to other robocallers.
• It starts the pitch. The "yes" is a conversational hook. Once you're engaged, the caller pushes for card details, a Medicare number, or a "small processing fee."
• "Cramming" exists. Unauthorized third-party charges on phone bills are a real problem. If a scammer already has some of your details, a recording of you appearing to agree could be used to dispute your complaint. Phone bills are worth checking.
• Voice cloning is a newer worry. Today's AI tools can imitate a voice from short samples, which is used in scams like fake calls from a relative in trouble. A single word is a thin sample, but the more you talk to an unknown caller, the more they have.

The safe way to handle these calls

1. Don't answer unknown numbers if you can avoid it. Let them go to voicemail or use call screening. See how to block and screen calls.
2. If you answer and something's off, just hang up. You don't owe an unknown caller a reply. You can also answer a question with a question: "Who's calling?"
3. Don't press any keys and don't confirm your name, address or anything else.
4. Never give card, bank, Social Security or Medicare numbers to someone who called you. If the call claims to be from a company you use, hang up and call them on a number you look up yourself.
5. Check your statements. Look over card, bank and phone bills for charges you don't recognize, and dispute them right away.
6. Agree on a family code word for emergency calls, so a cloned voice can't fool you. See the grandparent scam.

I said "yes." Should I worry?

Almost certainly not, if that's all you said. Keep an eye on your statements for a couple of months, and dispute anything you didn't authorize. A recording of a single word is not proof you agreed to a purchase. If you also gave card or account details, call your bank now and follow what to do if you've been scammed.

Common questions

Is it illegal for them to record me?

Recording laws vary by state, but the bigger issue is the call itself: a sales robocall without your written permission is already illegal.

Where do I report these calls?

To the FTC at donotcall.gov, the FCC at fcc.gov/complaints, and ShadyCall. See how to report scam calls.