Thames Valley Police: WhatsApp scam warning
Parents being tricked into thinking their children need financial help
Thames Valley Police is warning of a WhatsApp scam.
It sees parents getting fake messages from people pretending to be their children - asking for money.
Mums and dads across the country are being warned to take care on their phones amid the rise in text message scams.
WhatsApp users have been told to stay vigilant against a believable scam that involves tricksters messaging parents, pretending to be teenagers asking for money.
“Hey mum, it’s me,” the believable text starts. Scammers, hoping to dupe the victim into thinking their son or daughter is contacting them, then go on to say they’re having problems with their banking app.
During the conversation, the mysterious scammer attempts to impersonate the mother’s eldest daughter, telling her it was her “eldest and cutest child” sending the messages. “Hey mum it’s me. I got a new number u can delete the old one.”
Luckily, she was smart enough to call her daughter, who confirmed that it was not her.
The sly conversation continued with the fraudster sending, “I got the new iPhone. I’m still transferring everything.”
The scammer wastes no time trying to get their hands on some money, as they added, “Because of that new device I have to transfer all apps.“But the banking app has put a 48-hour security on the app due to fraud. All nice but I have to pay 2 payments.”
The conversation could’ve seen the mother being swindled as the impersonator explained, “Could you possibly pay for it for me and I’ll return it soon as possible? Sorry to bother u with this.”
If you have been a victim of this scam, call Action Fraud on 03001232040
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