Calls That Begin With 'Can You Hear Me?' May Be Scam, Police Warn

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Law enforcement officials are issuing a warning about a new type of phone scam circulating the nation.

Police say if you get a phone call beginning with someone asking "can you hear me", you need to hang up. If you answer "yes", it might be used by a fraudster to authorize unwanted charges on a phone bill, utility bill, or even a purloined credit card.

But how could just saying "yes" lead to a person being scammed? Well, criminals may have already collected some the necessary personal information -- a credit card number or cable bill, perhaps -- as the result of a data breach.

"You say 'yes,' it gets recorded and they say that you have agreed to something," Susan Grant, director of consumer protection for the Consumer Federation of America, tells CBS News. "I know that people think it's impolite to hang up, but it's a good strategy."

"Can you hear me", however, isn't the only question being used. There are also instances of questions like "are you the homeowner" or "do you pay the bills" being used.

Anyone who suspects a scam should hang up and monitor their credit cards.