One father lost almost £2,000 after fraudsters posed as his teenage son and convinced him that he had had his credit cards blocked after losing his mobile phone
Image: Belfast Live)
Fraudsters are posing as children and vulnerable family members to trick parents into handing over thousands of pounds in a new scam.
Official figures show almost £50,000 has already been lost to “hello mum” and “hello dad” frauds which begin with a text or phone call from someone purporting to be a son or daughter.
Often the calls are made to random numbers obtained through the dark web, with the scammers effectively trying their luck in the hope that they will target a parent.
The criminals say that they are texting from a new mobile number as their phone was lost or damaged and will go on to ask for money to purchase a new device, or claim that they need money urgently to pay a bill.
Have you fallen victim to this scam? Get in touch: emma.munbodh@mirror.co.uk
Action Fraud, the national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime, said that some victims had lost £3,000 to the scam.
Figures from Action Fraud show that 25 instances of the scam have been reported between August and October, with victims losing a combined total £48,356.
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Image:
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Acting Detective Inspector Craig Mullish, from the City of London Police, said: “If you’re contacted out of the blue from a number you don’t recognise but the person is claiming to be someone you know and are requesting financial assistance – stop and think as it could protect you and your money.
“These messages may appear genuine but your money could end up in the pockets of a criminal, so it’s OK to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.
“Try and reach out to the person directly by another form of communication to confirm that their request for help is genuine as it could be a scam.”
One victim, Peter Saunt, from Leicestershire, lost £2,000 after scammers posed as his son using WhatsApp.
The fraudsters convinced him that his son had had his credit cards blocked after losing his phone and asked him to transfer £1,950 to pay for an “imminent” online course.
Even after Mr Saunt had made the initial payment the scammers continued to message him and pressure him for more money.
“Nothing indicated that it wasn’t him, it was like a mirror image of a conversation I had with my son recently. Why would I be suspicious?” he told the Leicester Mercury.
“The feelings both my wife and I are going through are sickening, so I really want to get the message out please be very careful.”
On social media, some people who received the fraudulent WhatsApp text reported red flags such as the scammer being unable to identify which child was calling, instead using vague phrases such as “the oldest one”.
Adam French, a consumer rights expert for Which?, said: “This is the latest brazen example of unscrupulous fraudsters evolving their tactics in their relentless efforts to trick more and more innocent victims into handing over money.
“Consumers should be extremely wary of WhatsApp and text messages requesting money, even if they appear to be coming from loved ones.
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“If you’re in any doubt, give the family member or friend a quick call to check if it’s really them.”
The warning comes as a report by the Financial Ombudsman warned many fraud victims are being wrongly denied refunds by their bank.
It said three out of every four people were wrongly denied refunds last year.
The figures show that banks are ignoring their own code of conduct on refunds – leaving thousands of people out of pocket.
Under the terms of the reimbursement code on transfer scams, known as authorised push payment fraud, banks must reimburse customers who are not at fault.
However, over the past year, nearly 8,000 victims of this type of fraud complained to the Financial Ombudsman Service after their bank refused to refund them or only partially refunded them.
Whatsapp scams – the warning signs
- Stop: Take time before you respond. Make sure your WhatsApp two-step verification is switched on to protect your account, that you are happy with your privacy settings.
- Think: Does this request make sense? Are they asking for money? Remember that scammers prey on people’s kindness, trust and willingness to help.
- Call: Verify that it really is your friend or family member by calling them directly, or asking them to share a voice note. Only when you are 100% sure the request is from someone you know and trust, should you consider it. If it turns out to be untrue, report it to Action Fraud.
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