5 Scam Phrases Experts Say Should Make You Hang Up Immediately

Phone scams are no longer a minor nuisance – they have become one of the most financially devastating crimes targeting everyday people. Consumers reported losing more than $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024, a 25% increase over the prior year, according to the Federal Trade Commission. The situation is only getting worse in 2026. The volume of scam and telemarketing calls increased by more than 15% in 2025 compared to 2024, according to YouMail, one of the largest robocall-blocking companies, which the FCC itself cites. Knowing which specific phrases scammers use – and reacting the moment you hear them – is now one of the most practical forms of self-defense you can have.

1. “Can You Hear Me?”

The “Can you hear me?” scam involves a recorded voice that asks that exact question when the victim answers the call. The phrase is designed to trick the victim into responding “yes,” while the person or computer on the other end records the response. It sounds like the most ordinary question imaginable, which is precisely what makes it so effective. According to cybersecurity expert Matthew Shirley, vice president of client solutions at Fortalice Solutions, this phone scam “is particularly frightening because they simply rely on the human behavior of answering a quick question.”

The scammer can then use the recording to access the victim’s accounts – when asked to authorize log-ins, make a major purchase, or sign up for expensive services, the scammer impersonates the victim with the recorded “yes.” The “Can you hear me?” scam has been targeting consumers for quite some time, and the Better Business Bureau continues to receive reports about these calls. The FCC advises clearly: do not respond to any questions, especially those that can be answered with “Yes” or “No.”

2. “Your Account Has Been Compromised”

An insistence that you must act right away to resolve a situation is a major red flag of a phishing or phone scam attack – fraudulent calls often convey a sense of urgency, such as a message that your account may have been compromised or that it is about to be suspended or charged for something you did not purchase. This phrase is engineered to bypass rational thinking and trigger fear. Once panic sets in, most people stop asking questions and start complying. Callers claiming to be from a government agency or tech support company are a key warning sign, as scammers disguise themselves as representatives to get you to act quickly.

The second highest reported loss amount in 2024 came from imposter scams, with $2.95 billion reported lost. These impersonation calls are alarmingly convincing. A legitimate financial institution will not contact you and request that you provide your login credentials, a PIN, a verification access code, or your account number. If you hear this phrase, the FCC recommends hanging up and calling the organization back using a phone number sourced directly from its official website – never the one the caller provides.

3. “You Must Decide Right Now”

The phrase “you must decide right now” is a red flag for an illegal scam. The perpetrators use high-pressure tactics to force a quick decision. Urgency is one of the oldest psychological tools in the fraudster’s playbook, and it works because it short-circuits the part of your brain responsible for careful analysis. Scammers create a false sense of urgency and leverage technology and information they can find online to sound convincing. The less time you feel you have to think, the more likely you are to hand over money or personal details.

Being threatened or pressured to act quickly is a classic warning sign – many unsolicited calls come with urgent requests, and fraudsters want you to be frightened enough to take action and comply with their instructions. Legitimate companies and government agencies simply do not operate this way. The average amount of money lost to scams that started with a phone call increased in the first half of 2025, to $3,690, according to the FTC – a painful reminder of how costly even a momentary lapse in judgment can be.

4. “Pay With a Gift Card” or “Send Cryptocurrency”

A caller asking for payment via gift cards, cryptocurrency, or payment apps is a definitive red flag – your family, friends, or bankers will not call you asking for money in the form of gift cards, which are a favorite form of payment for scammers because they are largely untraceable. This payment method is essentially a one-way street: once the card numbers are read out over the phone, the money is gone. If you feel pressured, or a caller asks you to pay with gift cards, it’s a scam – the FCC states this plainly.

In 2024, consumers reported losing more money to scams where they paid with bank transfers or cryptocurrency than all other payment methods combined. Gift card demands, in particular, have become a defining feature of government impersonation scams. Some scammers even pretend to be with the FTC itself, telling people to transfer money out of their accounts, deposit cash into Bitcoin ATMs, and even hand off stacks of cash or gold to couriers – actions the FTC would never ask people to do. No real institution, agency, or company requests urgent payment in these forms.

5. “Don’t Tell Anyone About This Call”

When a caller instructs you to keep the conversation secret, that is one of the most telling signs of a scam. This phrase is specifically designed to cut you off from the one resource that could save you: a trusted friend, family member, or bank representative who would immediately recognize the fraud. Phone scams are likely to become an even bigger consumer problem as artificial intelligence makes it easier for con artists to impersonate loved ones, co-workers, and others – and AI can also help scammers aggregate information from data breaches and social media to create scripts and scenarios more likely to fool victims. Secrecy demands are especially common in romance scams and government impersonation schemes.

Total fraud losses reported by older adults aged 60 and over increased approximately fourfold from 2020 to 2024, skyrocketing from about $600 million to $2.4 billion – largely driven by losses to investment scams, romance scams, and impersonation schemes. Isolation is the scammer’s most powerful tool, and asking a victim to stay silent keeps that isolation intact. The FTC recommends never transferring or sending money to anyone, no matter who they say they are, in response to an unexpected call or message – and anyone telling you to keep a financial transaction secret deserves nothing more than an immediate hang-up.