Couldn't tell if it was a real guy or a robot because call kept breaking up.  Did try to get me to say the word "YES" by asking if I was the homeowner.  I know not to say that word to the scammers, hope the word has gotten out to everyone else about that.  Instead I said "what do you want?"  It was the old "free" home security system scam.  Now blocked.

When I am asked if I am the homeowner I say "no".  I figure that I am not telling a lie because I am still paying a mortgage.  So, in reality, the bank owns the house.  Let me miss three payments and see how much I own the house.  Even after it is paid off, I still will not "own" my house.  Let me try not paying my property tax.  I will come home to find myself unable to get in.

Quote:Did try to get me to say the word "YES" by asking if I was the homeowner.  I know not to say that word to the scammers, hope the word has gotten out to everyone else about that. Unfortunately rumors spread much faster than real information on real scams that emerge.

Quote:The 'Yes Scam' or 'Can you hear me?' scam says they record you saying yes and hang up afterwards. Then use the recording to charge you or open accounts anywhere.Its a rumor!Could you open an account  or charge something to a phone number by simply saying yes and nothing else? Try it and see for yourself how it goes!
I think it is very irresponsible for anyone to help spread this "yes" Rumor, without first investigating any possibilities towards its validity.

Ask yourself this:
What scam scenario would ONLY work with a recording of you saying yes and couldn't work without it?How would a caller know who answered, it could be your wife/husband/mom/dad or anyone who answered your phone and said 'yes' that gets recorded.What legitimate company would allow anyone to charge a client's phone or open an account with only a recording of someone saying yes?
The Yes Scam is merely a rumor and unproven to have any validity that it could work. There may be scams where you agreed to something unwittingly and got recorded, but they need much more than a simple recording of a voice saying yes.
Saying 'yes' alone has no impact  on pulling a scam, since a scammer could just as easily say 'yes' themselves . They wouldn't know its you or some family member who answered your phone, so recording a 'yes' is pretty redundant.

Okay, the "Can You Hear Me/Yes" scam that's been reported lately on the news appears to be completely unfounded.  However, there have been a few scammers that have edited conversations to make it sound like you agreed to something (I believe it was one of the "What's the model of your copier" types). So I believe it's still good practice to not use the word "Yes" in any conversation with a telemarketer, just to make it extra difficult.  I follow that practice and haven't had any problems.

I've gotten a couple of calls from this number, but they've been abandoned calls.  I'll keep answering until I can hopefully identify who this alarm scammer is, and report them.  I note that "Dawn" seems to indicate they are really wanting a "yes", so we'll see how that goes.  In general, as long as you positively answer, I.e "Are you the home owner" -> "I am!", they are happy with that response.

Theres nothing wrong with telling people to be cautious about an unknown caller or use an alternative word, but its the specific wording of people generally showing fear about answering with a yes, when it is not anything to be concerned about. They should be focusing on the actual wording of what the caller is saying, so that they don't get duped into agreeing on something that could turn out to cause them problems.
Someone asking 'can you hear me' could simply be a bad connection or silence at the beginning of a call to see if someone is there.  Why instill panic about a simple question that could lead to instant mistrust of anyone asking it?

People need to understand if a scammer wants to scam you, where a yes is used, they don't need your actual voice to do it! That is the reason I am pushing hard about this rumored 'yes scam' and get people back to focusing on those REAL scams that are tricking people out of money.