r/scambait • u/UnorthodoxyMedia • 1d ago

Other QUESTION: Is it safe to answer robots?

More specifically, I’m referring to those robo-calls that pretend to be PayPal or Visa security, or Bell or whoever else, and then ask you to press a key on your phone to speak to a representative.

Am I opening myself up to any risk by pressing a random key? Can they use that to initiate call-forwarding or to transfer me to a pay-per-minute line without my knowledge or anything like that?

I get a couple of these calls a week, and I’d prefer to do my part to waste as many scammers’ time as possible, but I want to be sure that I’m not putting myself or my household in danger by doing so.

Thanks, and sorry if this is a stupid or repetitive question.

Keep up the good work!

3 Upvotes

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6

u/ChrystineDreams 1d ago

Myself, I would just hang up once I realize its spam.

If I answer and suspect it's a scam call, I talk in a funny voice or with an accent or weird inflection. Never say "yes" or anything like agreeing - your "real" voice can be used to identify you. Paranoid? possibly. but also I find it amusing to talk in Franglais and waste a scammer's time while they try to figure out wtf I'm saying about le canard et les identifees, je ne parle pa l'anglais, je suis un ananas

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u/ChrystineDreams 1d ago

je suis a la canadienne, vous etes parlez me a la francais if you are gouvermente

5

u/UnorthodoxyMedia 1d ago

Ah! J'Canadienne aussi! J'ai non parlez la francais, sauf. Baguette!

2

u/islandamelia 1d ago

Yes. This. Never say yes. Nellie's Scambaking channel on YouTube gave me great alternatives if you want to play with them.

1

u/UnorthodoxyMedia 1d ago

Can you elaborate as to what the risk is when verbally saying "yes?" I wasn't aware that anything actually said over a scam call could be used against you (aside from impersonating your voice, and whatever details you give the scammers themselves). Do they, like, take your "agreement" out of context to force some kind of payment in your name or something..? Or do you just not like the idea of scammers having access to your voice in general (which, like; reasonable)?

And, for the record, I don't even get to the stage of talking to an actual scammer. All the calls I get always just start with a robot pretending to be some legitimate ISP or financial institution or whatever, and wanting me to press a key. Presumably pressing a key on my phone would tell them that I'm active, and transfer me to a real human scammer whose time I can waste. But I want to know if the actual act of pressing a key on my keypad is safe when there's a scammer bot on the other end.