Scams have been happening for many years, but unfortunately, they have grown exponentially in recent years. Maine.gov has a list of scams that have been documented as being done here in Maine.
The FCC has been warning people about a new phone scam tactic that is becoming increasingly popular
The way it works: the scammers will call the victim and immediately ask, "Can you hear me?" and record the victim saying "yes." With that recording they'll then use it to make fraudulent charges at financial institutions pretending to be the victim...