CYBERSECURITY experts have warned that saying a simple phrase during a phone call can leave you with an empty bank.
Specialists at McAfee advise you not to say “yes” when you answer the phone in case a scammer is recording.
“If you do answer, never say “yes.” Similarly, sophisticated scammers will record a victim’s voice for use in other scams.
“That can include trying to hack into credit card accounts by using the company’s phone tree,” McAfee states on its website.
This can be especially tricky if the call appears to come from someone you know.
Scammers may use a spoofing technique to appear as if they’re a contact calling you.
It’s worth avoiding saying “yes” unless you’re sure the call is legitimate.
McAfee also warns that talking on a scam phone call can get you in trouble even if you don’t say the word yes.
“Recordings of slightly longer lengths can also lead to voice cloning using AI-driven tools,” it warns.
Around three seconds of audio is all a cybercriminal needs to clone your voice using AI.
Even a short three-second clip can recreate your voice with 70 percent accuracy, according to McAfee.
If you want to stay safe, the best thing to do is never pick up a scam phone call.
Some smartphones label calls as spam risk so you don’t have to answer.
Both Apple and Android phones allow users to silence phone calls from unknown numbers.
If you’re unsure of the number ringing or if it’s a blocked number, you don’t have to answer.
It’s also worth watching out for scammers who ring you for a few seconds, hang up, and then hope you ring them back out of curiosity.
If you do answer one of these calls, say as little as possible and hang up as soon as you think it’s a scam.