A text says “Hi Mum, I dropped my phone, this is my new number.” A few messages later there’s a bill that needs paying right away. It’s written so a parent acts before they think.
Text message:
Hi Mum, my phone fell in water so this is my new number. Can you save it? I need to pay a bill today but my banking app isn’t working. Can you send £1,850? I’ll pay you back tonight x
Hi Mum, my phone fell in water so this is my new number. Can you save it? I need to pay a bill today but my banking app isn’t working. Can you send £1,850? I’ll pay you back tonight x
An invented example, but real scam messages look just like it.
Short answer: Don’t send money. Call your child on the number you already have, before you do anything else.
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Red flags in a message like this
- An unknown number claiming to be your child
- A broken or lost phone as the reason
- A request to save the new number and stop using the old one
- An urgent bill and a banking app that “isn’t working”
- A bank account that isn’t your child’s
How to check it’s really them
- The FTC warns that scammers impersonate family members in emergencies, and that voice cloning can make a call or voice note sound convincing. A voice alone isn’t proof.
- Call your child on the old number, or ask another relative to.
- Ask a question only they could answer, or agree a family code word.
If you already tapped, replied or paid
- Sent money: call your bank straight away and ask them to try to recall the payment.
- Gave bank details: tell your bank and watch your account.
- Still chatting: stop replying and block the number.
Report it: Forward the text to 7726. In the US, report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. In the UK, use Report Fraud.
Still not sure? Paste it into ScamRead before you reply or pay.