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If Someone Rings You And Says 'Can You Hear Me?', Hang Up Immediately

If Someone Rings You And Says 'Can You Hear Me?', Hang Up Immediately

Police are warning residents.

Josh Teal

Josh Teal

Can you hear me?

Of course not, because you're reading written words. But if you get a phonecall from someone asking this question you best be careful.

Police in the US are currently warning the public about a phone scam in which fraudsters record people answering "Can you hear me?" to assist them demanding huge payments.

Image: PA

Marks will be phoned up by people introducing themselves and their business, before being asked the magic question, which is answered positively, the person on the other end spins the entire conversation into a dark bribe.

Pretending to be from a security company, they will play back your recorded confirmation and threaten legal action if charges are not paid, according to WTKR.

Image: PA

The scam has already hit Florida and Pennsylvania.

Police, who are warning Virginia residents, told people "not to answer the phone from numbers you do not recognise", and in desperate circumstances, hang up and call 911 immediately.

"Anytime you become victim to a crime, you just feel violated," Jo Ann Hughes of the Norfolk Police Department in Virginia, said. "A lot of times, victims do not want to come forward because they are embarrassed. We want people to hear this advice."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: phone, Scam, Fraud, US