Scam Artists? Yes!

In many a horror film, there have been situations where a phone rings, and we, the audience, instinctively want to go meta and yell at the screen, “Don’t answer the phone!”

In our world, there have been a plethora of similar situations, thanks to the rise in telemarketers and scam artists trying to make innocent people the subject of real-life horror scenarios, complete with identity theft and credit fraud.

Recently, the Federal Communications Commission issued a warning to consumers about a relatively new scam hooking individuals with just one word: “Yes.”

According to the FCC, the scam begins as soon as an individual answers the phone. A recorded voice or an actual person asks, "Can you hear me?" And the consumer responds, “Yes."

"The caller records the consumer's 'Yes' response and thus obtains a voice signature,” an FCC news release said. “This signature can later be used by the scammers to pretend to be the consumer and authorize fraudulent charges via telephone.

"According to complaints the FCC has received and public news reports, the fraudulent callers impersonate representatives from organizations that provide a service and may be familiar to the person receiving the call, such as a mortgage lender or utility, to establish a legitimate reason for trying to reach the consumer," the news release added.

What is most disheartening about this twist on the tried-and-proven scam is that it relies on “local” phone numbers, not out-of-area exchanges. Individuals are more likely to pick up if an unfamiliar number is local, as they might think it’s someone from their child’s school, or a neighbor, or someone with whom they might be familiar. This is less likely to happen with calls from non-local area codes or anonymous calls.

The FCC shared the following tips:

• 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 (https://www.fcc.gov/) so it can 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 (link is listed above) 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 (https://www.donotcall.gov/).

Snopes, the urban myth debunking site, has classified the scam as “unproven,” because it has yet to "to identify any scenario under which a scammer could authorize charges in another person's name simply by possessing a voice recording of that person saying 'yes,' without also already possessing a good deal of personal and account information for that person, and without being able to reproduce any other form of verbal response from that person.”

But, better safe than sorry; it’s still extremely plausible, especially with advents in new technology. Even if a scammer doesn't use a "yes" answer to attempt to sign someone up for an unwanted service or product, it still has value to the scammers; just by answering, that person has proven their phone number is active, which indicates an individual will answer calls from unknown numbers. The scammer can then turn around and sell the number - and others - as sales leads to other solicitors of questionable repute.

The LeBron James Hurricane Index

According to LeBron James, there’s not one, not two, not three, but four storms a’brewing in the Atlantic right now. And that could mean bad news for Palm Beach County and southeast Florida.

One, Hurricane Gert, continues to spin parallel to the United States' East Coast, and in the middle of the Atlantic. It’s closer to the Carolinas than Florida, so it doesn’t appear to be much of a threat here - especially since it looked to be heading northeast of Nova Scotia. 

But three other tropical disturbances are disturbing, and by next week could be either sorry, soggy excused for storms or barreling full-throttle toward the United States mainland.

If all three continue to develop into tropical storms or hurricanes, they'd be named Harvey, Irma and Jose. However, at this time it doesn't seem likely all three will continue to grow.

Then again … we are heading into the heart of the mean season. Historically, hurricane season peaks from mid August to late September, when conditions are generally more favorable for more intense cyclones. And if hurricanes had bar mitzvahs, last week Hurricane Charley would have been reading from the scriptures, and next week Hurricane Frances would be doing the same.

It’s hard to believe that thirteen years have passed since Florida got nailed by the Fab Four of hurricanes; it was between August 9 and September 27, 2004, that Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne made their presence felt and re-landscaped much of the state, leading to thousands of blue tarped roofs and millions in damages.

Just last month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration nudged up its forecast for the current season after concluding the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean were likely setting the stage for more hurricanes. They now expect the season to produce 14 to 19 named storms, five to nine hurricanes and two to five major hurricanes with winds topping 110 mph.

So with all this in front of us, it seems like a good time to remind you of the obvious: be prepared! Create an emergency communication plan with your family. Have emergency supplies in place at home, at work and in the car. Check your insurance coverage, since damages caused by flooding are not covered under normal homeowners’ insurance policies. Know your local community’s evacuation plan and evacuation routes, how to receive alerts and shelter information. And listen to local officials for storm information.

The time to prepare for a hurricane is before a storm is bearing down on the region, when you have the time and are not under pressure. If you wait, the odds are you will be under stress and could make poor decisions. Plus, that’s when much-needed non-perishable foods and supplies dwindle quickly and may not be available. Take the time now to create and write down a hurricane plan, know where you will stay to be safe for a possible storm, and get your supplies in place.

For more tips on getting prepared for the 2017 hurricane season, visit www.nhc.noaa.gov/prepare.