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our business bureau is warning about a
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potential phone scam that's making its
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way around the Bay Area people are
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getting calls from unknown numbers and
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once you pick the phone up the caller
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asks you something to get you to say the
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word yes let's get out to ABC Action
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News reporter Kean McCormack live in
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Tampa this morning following the story
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for us key you dug into it walk us
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through how this works and how people
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can protect themselves and why these
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scammers want you to say the word
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yes well James first here's how it works
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you pick up the phone and someone says
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can you hear me now the normal response
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would be to say yes but the BBB wants
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you to think twice before responding
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because that yes could be
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recorded the say yes phone scam as the
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Better Business Bureau is calling it is
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targeting people across the bay area
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people answer an unknown number and are
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asked a question that prompts them to
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answer with yes this is not a new scam
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the BBB was first made aware of it back
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2017 but in the last few months it's
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making another round with this type of
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call it seems to relate to what's called
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robocalling These are automated systems
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that does mass dialing to many consumers
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and it's a computer automated voice that
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asks that question it could be can you
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hear me it could be confirming who you
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are what they're trying to do is get you
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to prompt to say yes just last week I
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received a call that said I'm calling
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for Chris do I have the wrong number
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when I answered with yes they hung up so
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it can really be anything that's why the
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Better Business Bureau says to be on
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your toes when answering a call from an
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unknown number now the real question
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here is what can they do with your voice
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recorded yes but what the concerns are
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is that the scammers or these marketing
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companies could use that word yes uh to
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identify that they agreed to sign up for
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some kind of program or charges to their
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credit card or maybe their cell phone
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build so how can you protect yourself
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Brian Oglesby with the BBB says don't
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answer any calls from unknown numbers if
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you do pick up the phone and you're
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prompted to answer with yes either hang
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up or ask a question back but of avoid
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saying yes if you receive an unsolicited
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call you should be prepared to receive
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the call and say things may ask who's
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calling what is this call about and not
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respond to their question to you ask a
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question with a question if this all
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sounds familiar to you because you've
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gotten one of these calls and answered
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with yes Oglesby says there's no need to
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panic he says be extra diligent in
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checking your credit card statement and
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phone bills to make sure there's no
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unauthorized charges but the BBB has not
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yet confirmed that anyone has lost money
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call and if you have received a call
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like this you can report it to the BBB
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scam tracker I put that link on our
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website for you that's at
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reporting live in Tampa key McCormick
