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Scam Phone Calls? Not Today.

The Bible says “there is nothing new under the sun.”

That’s also true when it comes to scammers. However they may employ new tricks and use technology to conduct their evil deeds. There’s a new phone scam growing in popularity that is including the church community as a target.

Its called the “Say Yes” scam. It involves fraudulent callers claiming to be from service organizations that you may be familiar with (such as a bank or a utility company) that attempt to get you to say the word “Yes” in response to a question they ask. Unknown to you, the scammer is recording the call, and your “Yes” response is what they want to obtain.

If I fall for this scam will it hurt me? Indirectly, yes. After obtaining the recording, the scammers attempt to sign you up for services they profit from. When you get the bill and call the support number, they play your recorded “yes” as evidence you really signed up for the service.

What can you do?

Arm yourself with knowledge. The Federal Communications Commission published a detailed consumer alert regarding this scam.

Always be on alert for telephone scams. The following tips can help ward off unwanted calls and scams:

• Don’t answer calls from unknown numbers. Let them go to voicemail.
• If you answer and the caller (often a recording) asks you to hit a button to stop receiving calls, just hang up. Scammers often use these tricks to identify, and then target, live respondents.
• If you receive a scam call, write down the number and file a complaint with the FCC to help identify and take appropriate action to help consumers targeted by illegal callers.
• Ask your phone service provider if it offers a robocall blocking service. If not, encourage your provider to offer one. You can also visit the FCC’s website for information and resources on available robocall blocking tools to help reduce unwanted calls.
• Consider registering all of your telephone numbers in the National Do Not Call Registry.

And one more thing…
If a person calls and identifies himself or herself as an ACS Technologies employee, ask the caller to tell you your site ID. If they cannot provide it, you know it’s not really ACS Technologies calling.

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