Montana: Hang Up Right Now If You Hear These 4 Words

Phone Scam Hits Big Sky Country—Here’s What To Know

In speaking with friends and co-workers here in Montana, it amazes me how many people in the age of caller ID still answer calls from numbers they don't know.

If you are still someone who picks up the phone even if you don't recognize the number, you'll want to make sure to hang up if the person calling you says a four-word phrase.

This Simple Phrase Could Cost Montanans Big

Answering the phone seems to be something that the older generation does, so it makes you wonder how long these phone scams will last.

Neither my nephew nor niece, both of whom have cell phones, will ever answer my phone calls, but I'll get a text back in a second.

My mother, on the other hand, hates to text and will only talk on the phone, so I've made sure she's got the heads-up to immediately hang up the phone if she hears this phrase "can you hear me?"

Protect Your Wallet: Why “Can You Hear Me?” Is a Red Flag

You might be wondering why that 4-word phrase means you should shut up and hang up.

Well, that's because the most common answer to "Can you hear me?" is "yes." So when you answer them with that word, they hang up, but not before they record you saying it.

Now all they have to do is replay that recording when trying to access your banking information, making large purchases, basically anything to steal money from you by impersonating you.

If you happen to be the target of the "Can you hear me?" scam, after you've hung up, report the number to the Better Business Bureau's scam tracker page by clicking here.