Hudson Valley officials are warning about an ongoing scam, where scammers are asking the simple question, “can you hear me?”

According to the Ulster County District Attorney’s Division of Consumer Affairs, If you receive a call and the caller asks, ”Can you hear me?”, you might end up a victim to fraud if you say “Yes.”

This brand-new phone scam is targeting people across the country and in the Hudson Valley, officials say.

Scammers are secretly recording you and using robots to defraud you. The answers you give them are then used against you, and your wallet, officials warn.

Here is an example of this simple scam:

Caller: “Hi, this is Josh from the consumer department – can you hear me okay?”

Your answers are recorded. If you answered “yes” to “can you hear me” the scammer calls back, demanding payment, using your “yes” recording as proof that you agreed to pay for goods and/or services.

Scammers are using local numbers to increase the chances that you pick up.

The Ulster County Consumer Affairs is recommending that you screen your calls and hang up when you hear the salesperson say, “Can you hear me?”

Have you been the victim of this scam? Let us know on our Facebook page or in the comment section below.

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