WhatsApp scam - how do they get your number??

[catfunk]

My elderly aunt just got stung for a few k
Having seen the messages it's quite believable.

'Son' (his name) messages a few days earlier, I've lost my phone, using this number for now, general chit chat building trust.

After a a few days any chance you could pay this invoice for me. Banking app not set up on new phone yet, will pay you back Monday.

You know the rest. Of course have reported to bank/ action fraud etc.

Aunts Facebook profile is private and son doesn't have it so they're not friends on there and can't see any mention of him on there.

How do they get the phone number and more importantly - child's name ? On googling it. It's quite a common scam.

Bumping ....

www.thesun.co.uk/news/16786432/gran-scammed-money-whatsapp-fraudsters-daughter/ not sure if links are allowed ive not read it will do in a sec but sounds like the same might be worth a read

Random ... all numbers in uk start 07 then 9 other numbers.just keep trying combinations. Or more likely, have software to try them for you.

Could be that they got her name, address and number passed on from another company where she’s signed up for something and not checked the box not to have info sold/ shared. I suppose once they have a name and address they could potentially search for info using the electoral roll which would give names of other people who’d previously lived at her address, I don’t know if info about ages is on there but I suppose you could probably work out who was likely to be a close relative.

www.mirror.co.uk/money/whatsapp-scam-warning-over-messages-25431657 another article

@MLMshouldbeillegal

Random ... all numbers in uk start 07 then 9 other numbers.just keep trying combinations. Or more likely, have software to try them for you.

I was gonna suggest that but she said they knew her sons name so the random number thing wouldnt work

they could use common names John, Steve etc and send to loads and if they text back sorry wrong number move on you know kinda like fake fortune tellers etc

Also, people think they are being really smart by never disclosing anything online, but it's so easy to find things out. On Facebook many women will put Donna Summer was Winter. Takes 2 minutes - if that - on free BMD to identify the children.

Thank you @ChanFirstTimer86 ive read them all before but wondering how they got her number and child's name

@ChanFirstTimer86

they could use common names John, Steve etc and send to loads and if they text back sorry wrong number move on you know kinda like fake fortune tellers etc

It's not a common name really. The contact if came up as his name.

might be leaked info then or hacking couldnt tell you mind boggling and scary im glad I dont have a smart phone

@MLMshouldbeillegal

Also, people think they are being really smart by never disclosing anything online, but it's so easy to find things out. On Facebook many women will put Donna Summer was Winter. Takes 2 minutes - if that - on free BMD to identify the children.

@MLMshouldbeillegal sorry what do you mean? I don't understand the Donna summer thing and what does BMD mean? 🥴

@catfunk

Thank you *@ChanFirstTimer86* ive read them all before but wondering how they got her number and child's name

Chance?

If they’d got the wrong name, she’d have ignored it as a “wrong number” or scam. But they hit upon the right name, so she didn’t. I imagine it’s not an unusual name?

Donna Summer as in her new married name was winter as in maiden I think?

So on Facebook many women will have their married name, like Donna Summer, along with their maiden name, Winter.

Free BMD Is births marriages and deaths. It's a site used by people tracing their family history and it's very easy to identify the names of children born to a particular couple - mr and Mrs Summer, living in X area, where the mother's maiden name is winter.

Oh I see. Thanks.
I'm so gutted for her x

I understand the scam starts with "Hi Mum, it's me. I've lost/ damaged/broke my old phone. This is my new number, so update your contacts.

Mum then updates her contact list with new number, and all the messages appear to be coming from "Tarquin" or whatever her sons name is.

@DooDahDah it showed as sons name first apparently

They probably got her name and number from some dodgy list after she signed up online for something. Then Google has so much info on all of us. With a bit of digging they could find all sorts, like makes of people who also have lived at the same address.

[quote catfunk]@DooDahDah it showed as sons name first apparently [/quote]
Did the original message come from an unknown number though?

Why would anyone do this without speaking to the person in question first?

@DooDahDah

I understand the scam starts with "Hi Mum, it's me. I've lost/ damaged/broke my old phone. This is my new number, so update your contacts.

Mum then updates her contact list with new number, and all the messages appear to be coming from "Tarquin" or whatever her sons name is.

Agree with this, the initial contact will have been along those lines but the victim of the scam has forgotten. Easily done if you're getting lots of text messages/whatsapp messages.

I had one from 'Emma' who was in hospital having broken her leg and needed money for the TV/food/taxi home/whatever. At first it made me panic a bit because I know quite a few Emmas but it wasn't a number in my contacts list and the spelling/grammar was terrible so I got suspicious and googled the message text. Lo and behold it was a scam doing the rounds.

@bendmeoverbackwards well quite. I wouldn't have. But she's mid 70s and not so sharp these days. Apparently she tried to call and they did a good job of answering and sounding like there was no signal. And they'd groomed her for almost a week before messaging back and forth.