|
|
 |
 |
Attorney General Mike DeWine
DeWine Warns of “Can
You Hear Me” Calls Reported in Ohio
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today warned that
since Friday, several Ohioans have reported suspicious calls from
callers asking “Can you hear me?”
Similar calls have been reported throughout the country as part of an
alleged scam to trick consumers into responding “Yes” and using their
response to place unauthorized charges on their phone or utility
bill.
“Any time people receive a call that’s suspicious, we encourage them to
be very careful and not to respond to the call,” Attorney General
DeWine said. “When in doubt, just hang up. If you need help or if you
suspect a scam, contact the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.”
In reports to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, consumers generally
say the calls appeared to come from a local phone number, such as a
number showing a 614 (Columbus) or 330 (Akron) area code. Some
consumers said the callers claimed the consumer had won a vacation or
cruise or claimed to work for an extended warranty company.
Tips to avoid potential phone scams include:
Don’t respond to suspicious calls. Let the calls go to voicemail, or
hang up if a call seems questionable in any way, especially if it’s an
automated telemarketing call (or “robocall”), which is used commonly in
scams.
Don’t always trust caller ID. Even when calls appear to come from an
Ohio phone number, the numbers could be spoofed or the calls could be
made over the Internet, meaning the caller could be located somewhere
else entirely.
Check your phone bill and your credit card statements regularly. If you
find suspicious charges, immediately report them to your provider.
Consumers who suspect a scam or who want help resolving a consumer
problem should contact the Ohio Attorney General’s Office at
www.OhioProtects.org or 800-282-0515.
|
|
|
|
