We have seen a rise in malicious calls designed to record your voice and misuse it for fraudulent purposes.

To help you stay safe, we’ve put together some practical tips:

• Avoid saying “yes” or other affirmative phrases. Scammers often start with questions like “Can you hear me?” to trick you into saying “Yes.” That recording can be used to authorise fraudulent transactions. Instead, respond with neutral phrases such as “I can hear you” or “Who is calling?”.
• Don’t repeat phrases, even when asked. If asked to repeat something, calmly confirm you have the information without repeating their words.
• Verify caller identity before engaging. If someone claims to be from a company, ask for their full name, department, or call-back number in case of disconnection.
• Never share personal information. Do not disclose your full name, address, or account numbers.
• Stay calm and don’t engage. Scammers often create urgency or use scare tactics.
• Take a moment to think. If unsure, hang up immediately. Never allow unknown callers remote access to your machine.

This guidance has been shared as a poster to display on workplace notice boards. You can find this on the UK News download page: here