Scam: beware of the family emergency scam by SMS

Scammers never rest. As the holiday season approaches, watch out for this well-crafted scam.

The Signal-Arnaque platform has warned that a new SMS scam , begins to spread in France. This is an emergency message from a scammer posing as a relative of the victim. Criminals do not hesitate to play with the feelings of their targets to steal money. By now, parents all over the world have already been fooled. Stay on your guard. We take stock in this article.

The mode of operation of l'escroquerie

The scam starts with a delivered message from an unknown phone number posing as the victim's child.

'Hello mum/dad. My phone is broke. It's my phone number. [Phone number] you can save this. Send me a message via WhatsApp. »

As soon as the target participates in the discussion, the scammer asks him for money and a refund offer. The latter urges the victim, explaining that it is an emergency. He says, for example, that online banking are not available on his new phone . In other cases, the scammer asks for money to replace the “broken” cell phone.

Obviously, it's all a lie . The scammers could invent anything to extract money from you.

A well-established scam

This scam begins to rage in France. But She is very well known in English-speaking countries . She trapped parents all over the world. Older people, less comfortable with new technology, are the first victims .

A few months ago, Detective Superintendent Matthew Craft, Commander of the NSW Police Cybercrime Squad notified:

“Victims of the ‘Hi Mum’ scam have been reported overseas (…) but since May we have seen a significant increase in reports not just in New South Wales but across Australia.”

Australian law enforcement listed several cases in this regard . As this Detective Superintendent reported, the “Hi Mum” scam has mostly affected Australia, including New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia.

Investigators claimed that the scammers were very quick to cover their tracks . They move fraudulent funds amassed from bank accounts into cryptocurrencies. From there, victims can say goodbye to their money, because they can't get it back .

The same Detective Superintendent said:

“In just a few months, the losses accrued by Australian victims of this scam easily exceed $2 million, considering the significant under-reporting of cybercrime victims generally. »

Then, recently, the ACCC (Australian Competition & Consumer Commission) claimed that in 2022, 11,000 Australians fell into the trap , damage estimated at 7.2 million dollars or 6.7 million euros.

Don't be fooled by this scam

L'escroquerie 'Hi Mum' is a psychological game . The scammer uses your feelings towards your loved ones to get at you. This is the reason why the first thing to do is not to panic .

'In the event of an alert message, try to remain calm,' advises the Signal-Arnaque platform.

According to Matthew Craft, these scammers always had this “inability to personalize any communication” by multiplying “their excuses for not talking on the phone. » Before deciding anything, always check the information provided, being alert to any “the suspicious behavior displayed by these scammers” .

According to this Detective Superintendent in charge of the case in Australia:

“If you receive a suspicious message on your mobile, especially via social networks or encrypted messaging, contact your loved one via another means of communication or call to confirm that it is indeed the same one. »

The Signal-Arnaque platform completes this advice by saying:

“Call the person on the number they say they lost. If that doesn't respond, contact someone who might be with her. This will usually be enough to dispel your doubts'.

If it is indeed a scam, you can contact the authorities of the Cybermalveillance platform . But you can simply go to the nearest police station.

If unfortunately you have already been scammed, quickly contact your bank . Then report the incident to law enforcement.

Source : Mariefrance