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I read about the "Can you hear me?" scam for a couple days, and then both my wife and I got the calls on our cell phones, today.

http://www.snopes.com/can-you-hear-me-scam/

Virginia police are now warning about the scheme, which also sparked warnings by Pennsylvania authorities late last year. The “can you hear me” con is actually a variation on earlier scams aimed at getting the victim to say the word “yes” in a phone conversation. That affirmative response is recorded by the fraudster and used to authorize unwanted charges on a phone or utility bill or on a purloined credit card.

And the caller ID number was spoofed, it was in my area code and the person who answered said they hadn't called me, so I can't even google block it.

Caller ID barely does shit nowadays.

Huh. Maybe that's why I got a call the other day from some guy who asked why I hung up and told me he could hear me.

It was a little weird.

There could be some truth to this as I know I read reports and got warned back in the day about shady vendors who would try to get you to say "yes" during a conversation and then use that as proof of an agreement to purchase a service or product. It was typically those scumbags that sell toner.

I haven't said "yes" on a cold call in years. I always say "That is correct" or repeat their question back positively.

So for this scam I would say, "I can hear you."

Robocall: "If you would like to be added to our Do Not Call list and no longer receive our calls, please indicate by saying 'Yes.' If you would like to continue to receive our calls in the future simply hang up."

Me: "Add me to your Do Not Call list."

Robocall: "I'm sorry, I didn't understand you. If you would like to be added to our Do Not Call list and no longer receive our calls, please indicate by saying 'Yes.' If you would like to continue to receive our calls in the future simply hang up."

Me: "You sneaky fucks."