'If you do answer, never say yes,' expert warns after a terrifying phone call to empty the bank

CYBERSECURITY experts have warned that saying a simple sentence during a phone call could leave you with an empty bank.

Specialists at McAfee advise you not to say yes when you answer the phone, in case a scammer is answering.

'When you answer, never say 'yes'. Likewise, sophisticated scammers will record a victim's voice for use in other scams.

“This may include attempts to hack into credit card accounts using the company's phone tree,” McAfee said on its website.

This can be especially tricky if the call appears to be from someone you know.

Scammers may use a spoofing technique to give the impression that they are a contact you are calling.

It's worth not saying yes unless you're sure the call is legitimate.

McAfee also warns that you can get into trouble during a fake phone call even if you don't say yes.

“Recordings of slightly longer lengths can also lead to voice cloning using AI-driven tools,” it warns.

About three seconds of audio is all a cybercriminal needs to clone your voice using AI.

According to McAfee, even a short three-second clip can reproduce your voice with 70 percent accuracy.

If you want to stay safe, it is best to never answer a scam phone call.

Some smartphones flag calls as spam risk so you don't have to answer.

Both Apple and Android phones allow users to mute phone calls from unknown numbers.

If you are not sure which number is ringing or if it is a blocked number, you do not need to answer.

It's also worth watching out for scammers who will call you for a few seconds, hang up and then hope you call them back out of curiosity.

If you do answer one of these calls, say as little as possible and hang up as soon as you think it is a scam.