New scam - don’t say yes

I am with you Sidelined! simple!

We don't get scam calls anymore as they were always on the land line phone. We changed Internet and TV to BT and you don't pay for a phone line if you don't want one. We have 2 mobiles in the home so ok for emergency.

I don't pick up. Check 'who called me' and it is always a scam. Then I block the number.

M0nica

Anyone, other than the mentally impaired, who even begins a telephone conversation with an unknown person ringing out of the blue and not immediately stating clearly who they are and what they are ringing about, and you were expecting the call, deserves everything they get.

To be totally fair, in the past I have had quite genuine sounding calls from couriers, about packages I actually was expecting etc, only it wasn't real, they are somehow very clever and get enough snippits of info to sound plausible, add in busy people and trained people pleasers, dangerous cocktail, anyone is capable of being fooled, weak moment, good timing, tired not thinking.. none of us are totally foolproof

People keep saying ignore an unknown number.
A few weeks ago I was away from home but had to contact my OH there and then.
For some unknown reason my phone died.
I had to borrow someone’s phone to call him. I knew he would answer as he always says what if ( see above)

My husband always asks them "Is your mother proud of you for doing this?"

My bank have asked me to agree to using voice recognition instead of security questions. I have refused.

Ours has been doing it for a long time. No problems.

I use voice recognition with my bank with no problems. You do have to put in the account number first and sometimes date of birth. This is a telephone banking account.

I have another account with a different bank using their app and they now offer finger print recognition.

I changed my answerphone message to say ‘if I don’t recognise your number I don’t answer so please leave me a message.’

So, once they've recorded your "YES" , what proof have they that it was your voice? And how would anyone know that anyway?
And what company do you know who would take an order over the phone on the basis of you saying YES ???
Pull the other leg, it's got bells on!

Oh dear, some years ago a colleague of mine used to wind up cold callers by answering every question with 'yes' , in a long drawn out fashion implying someone with mental health issues. So his answer to asking eg his date of birth would be "y e s" until the caller gave up in despair after receiving the repeated response! However he did have an extensive repertoire of ways of responding to cold callers so hopefully will be using those instead.
Thank you to the OP for the warning, and we have also had a warning about this particular scam via our local Nextdoor network so hopefully people in wider areas have been receiving this heads-up too.

BluebellGran

I changed my answerphone message to say ‘if I don’t recognise your number I don’t answer so please leave me a message.’

The only problem with that (I have done something similar) is there are those who don't always check their messages regularly enough to make it a 'safe' way of communicating an urgent matter.

I have never researched the facts or statistics about the detection and conviction rates of these scammers and I have the feeling that it's something we're more or less expected to live with - the onus being on us to 'stay safe'. Indeed - it's so accepted now that it's down to us that many will blame the victim rather than the culprit. Which, considering how sophisticated some of these scams and scammers are, is really quite unacceptable.

Considering that we are encouraged to do just about everything 'online' I think companies and organisations - and particularly banks - will have to do more to protect us. We'll have to accept two-step (or even more steps) verification, and whatever other processes can be put in place to keep us secure as part of the 'privilege' of managing our lives online, however onerous it feels.

I'd like to see these scammers being given hefty sentences in prison though - they are no different to the thugs who break into your home and steal everything they can lay their hands on.

rowyn

So, once they've recorded your "YES" , what proof have they that it was your voice? And how would anyone know that anyway?
And what company do you know who would take an order over the phone on the basis of you saying YES ???
Pull the other leg, it's got bells on!

They’re interested in getting into your bank account so want to be able to pass voice recognition. Nothing to do with ordering anything over the phone.

I normally let it go to answerphone if I don’t know who the caller is, but a few months ago, when DH was in hospital, I answered, in case it was the hospital calling me. It wasn’t, but it was obviously a scammer. When they asked me “How are you today?” I replied that it was not a good day, as my husband had just had a heart attack.(True) They actually apologised for ringing and put the phone down! Not a ruse I want to use again though. Actually I rarely get scam calls.

rowyn

So, once they've recorded your "YES" , what proof have they that it was your voice? And how would anyone know that anyway?
And what company do you know who would take an order over the phone on the basis of you saying YES ???
Pull the other leg, it's got bells on!

As GSM says, it's your bank account details that they are after. It's not the YES - it's the cloning of your voice.

This makes sobering reading...

www.vice.com/en/article/dy7axa/how-i-broke-into-a-bank-account-with-an-ai-generated-voice

I'm neurodivergent and have a big problem with talking on the phone. Due to this, whenever my phone rings (unless I definitely know who it and feel able to use the phone at that moment), I simply ignore it. My thought is that if it's important, they'll leave a message.

That "yes" thing sounds highly dubious to me, but the warning has been around for a long ti."me. I really can't imagine any bank, commercial business, etc. charging you on the basis of the word "yes" or you being liable for such charges. When you really do online transactions with your bank, or order something online, think of all the information you have to put in before any money changing takes place.

Ignore the "yes" warning; it sounds like a joke perpetrated by mischievous teenagers.