- Try not to answer numbers that show up as “unknown” on your phone. Let it go to voicemail, but if you must answer it, avoid answering any questions, especially those that prompt you to say “yes.” Some of the known questions are: “Are you a homeowner?” or “Can you hear me?” Be on your game and ask a question instead, such as “Who are you and why do you want to know?
- Simply hang up when you feel uncomfortable on a phone call.
- Do not, by any means offer your personal information to strangers on the phone, even if the person on the other end is claiming to work for your car insurance company or your financial institution.
- Change the settings on your phone so all unknown calls go directly to voicemail. There should be a setting on your phone that allows this. Scammers seldom leave voicemails so you don’t have to worry about them after the call goes to voicemail.
In the video below, several people were interviewed on how they would react when asked the question “Can you hear me?” The majority said that they would, in fact probably answer “yes.”