Unfortunately for users, scam attempts are becoming more frequent and increasingly complex. Today, cybercriminals use any means to deceive people: we have seen fraud by SMS, WhatsApp, email and, of course, through calls.
The double call scam or the so-called loss scam are two quite popular examples, but now the INCIBE (National Cybersecurity Institute) alerts us of the risk it can pose. respond with a simple ‘yes’ when we pick up the phone.
A seemingly harmless word can be dangerous
What word do you usually say when answering the phone when someone calls you? You are likely to say “Hello!”, “Tell me?” or directly “Yes?” If you are one of those who answers the latter – like me -, be careful. Few people are aware of the hidden risks What does it mean to give such a seemingly harmless response.
According to INCIBE, scammers can you record that response and then use it to authorize financial transactions, contracts or falsify identity. They may even manipulate the recording and use it as evidence in situations that could put reputations at risk.
This is what is known as the “Yes fraud” and it works in the following way:
- Initial call: the victim receives a phone call from the scammer, answers “Yes?” and no one responds, no conversation is established between sender and receiver, and we move on to step 3. If the victim answers something else, we continue with the second step.
- Questions with affirmative answers: The scammer poses as a representative of a bank, sales service, customer service, support or others. When he gains her trust, he asks her seemingly innocuous questions to get “yes” answers. In this case, the scammer will remain silent while waiting for an affirmative response from the victim and will hang up after a few seconds when he receives it.
- Recording the “yes” answer: the scammer records the “Yes?” the victim’s initial response or any of her affirmative responses.
- Recording Usage: The scammer will try to use the voice recording to register for a banking service on behalf of the victim, carry out a survey on their behalf, etc. And you can provide the recording as supposed confirmation of identity.
If you find yourself in a situation where you have said “yes” through a phone call and you suspect that it could be a scam attempt, INCIBE recommends do not prolong the conversation and hang up. From there, closely monitor your bank accounts and credit cards for any unusual activity.
In addition, it is advisable to change passwords and security codes, as well as save any evidence of the scam, such as phone numbers, call recordings, emails or received text messages. They will be very useful to you when filing a complaint.
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