Throughout the last five years, millions of Americans have answered their landlines, only to be greeted by "Rachel from card services" — the original robocall personality.
Rachel still resurfaces every now and then, but she has now been replaced by a giggling young woman named "Emily."
A typical call goes like this: "Hello! (pause) Oh hi there! (pause) Oh I am so sorry about that, I was having a little problem with my headset. Anyway, my name is Emily."
"I picked it up, and it's dead for just a couple of seconds, and then a girl comes on, with a very nice voice and says 'can you hear me?' Marian Diana said. "It's always: 'Can you hear me? Wait, I have to fix my headset."
The worst part? Emily primarily calls cell phones.
Several State Attorney General offices originally worried that saying "yes" to Emily's questions could lead to an unexpected credit card charge — or worse. Luckily, Emily's calls aren't that advanced.
According to Snopes there are no reports of anyone having money or their identity stolen by saying "yes" to Emily's question. Callers would need to give their credit card or social security number in order for any damage to be done, Snopes says.
Meantime, ScamDetector.com finds similarities between "Emily calls" and a Mexican-based travel company, which has used some of the same lines before. For instance, Emily always tells callers he or she has stayed at her company's resorts in the past and that the caller qualifies for 75 percent savings. It's exactly what the Mexican travel company has claimed in their robocalls for years.
Callers who answer "yes" are transferred to a live operator who will attempt to sell a vacation, ScamDetector says.
Those looking to block Emily's calls may be able to so with apps like NoMoRobo, Privacy Star, Mr Number or Calls Blacklist.
Or you can do as some pranksters are doing, and ask Emily if you can buy her a new headset.
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