Phone scam warning: Avoid saying ‘yes’ to unknown callers

Consumers are being warned to avoid saying the word ‘yes’ when answering calls from unknown numbers. Scammers may record these responses and manipulate them to claim that the recipient has verbally agreed to contracts or purchases.

In some instances, even legitimate companies, such as mobile service providers, use aggressive retention tactics where a misplaced ‘yes’ can inadvertently prevent a contract cancellation from being processed.

To identify unknown callers, experts suggest searching the number on Google using quotation marks for precision or checking specialized databases and apps like Clever Dialer, which maintain lists of reported spam and dangerous numbers.