At least 25 people in Australia have been swindled by a phone scam known as “Hi Mum”. -AP
Australian parents are being targeted by cash-seeking fraudsters impersonating their children as part of an emerging text messaging scam.
At least 25 people in Australia have been swindled by the scam since January, Victoria Police’s Cybercrime Squad revealed on Friday.
Believed to have originated in Europe, it begins with a WhatsApp or text message along the lines of “Hi Mum, I’ve changed provider/lost/broken my phone – I’m temporarily using this number for now”.
The conversation develops before the impersonator requests money for some kind of emergency, including to purchase a new phone or pay an urgent bill, explaining they are locked out of their online banking account.
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