The "hi mum" text scam has changed - warning!

[itsgettingweird]

I've read about the scam here where you get a text from your child saying their phone has broken and asking for money.

I've just had one saying "Hi mum. My phone has broken and I'm texting from a friends phone that's about to die. Can you text me on ....."

I'm guessing the cost to text that number is huge or they'll then ask for money via that number?

I've deleted the text obviously but just thought I'd let others know it's out there.

Luckily I knew of the scam but my ds is sat next to me and they've clearly never tried to read his spelling before because this was spelt perfectly

It’s not changed. It’s just another one.

Tell your kids if they ever text from a different phone or you need to confirm it's them in any for a codeword. Solves all this"oh hi DS, sure. What's our codeword first? "

Thanks for the warning. It’s based on the idea that teenagers would rather text than ring for anything. They’re not wrong.

A good suggestion, but you really need to avoid replying, so I'd suggest teaching kids to include a specific word or phrase - or even their name in the initial message, and whose phone it is..

"Mum, it's me, Consuela Banana Hammock, my phone is dying - this is Brian's number."

Hate these bloody scams. My elderly mum called me in a panic recently saying my brother had been stabbed! Thankfully I instantly knew it was a scam as soon as she said she hadn't actually spoken to him but she was so shaken.

Just tell your kids to phone and not text if they need you

Mine too. ‘Mum I’ve had an accident and my phone is broken’. This could well be true - he has a lot of accidents! It was a scam though.

My pa got fooled by one the other day that said it was from Anna and asking for £20. Felt so bad for him as he thought he was just trying to help me out

@Reservoirbogs your poor mum :(

Good idea about the code word. I wonder though if these sort of scam attempts work. It’s like emails from colleagues abroad saying they’ve been in an accident or some such.

@pimlicoanna was the text referring to your actual name? That’s disturbing.

You just reply "of course sweetheart but which of my children are you? Claire, Lucy or Sarah?"

They soon fuck off.

First thing I would do with a text saying phone was broken and they were using a friends would be to phone the number - no?

It's just another variation. My BIL got a WhatsApp message asking for money because the phone fell in water. Arseholes

@Madamecastafiore haha, I like that. “Are you Archibald, Crispin or Arabella? Which of the trust funds should I break into?”

Bizarrely, this very second I received a text message to ask me to check something on Apple wallet. Bizarre as I don’t have one. The text is of course not signed or personalised but the number is visible.

Yes I've heard of the phone in water and phone dropped and smashed scams.

But that's always asked for money directly.

This one asked me to contact another number because the one they were texting on was dying.

I assumed it was a new version of an old scam and wondered if they get money via you texting or calling?

I had one one saying dd had fallen into the river and needed money for a taxi. It would have been a very short ride she was next door the other side of the party wall doing physics
homework with neighbour

@LadyWithLapdog yes they just use a common name where lots of people might know someone with that name.

You need a 'Shibboleth'.

Always an opportunity to show this West Wing scene

Can you child prove they are them? Honestly a polite text is probably enough to prove it's not them in DS' case

My DC have dropped phones, got them wet at festivals, they stopped malfunctioning at concerts, had to get Ubers with friends late at night etc so many of the scenarios could ring true. I’d fall to pieces if I’d read about stabbing or falling in the river etc :(

DD has done this because she runs out of charge, but she always tells me who she is and whose phone she is messaging from.

But I can see if I wasn't really concentrating I might reply without thinking as she has form for this, so yes always a good heads up, thanks!

Mil got one last night, but wasn’t to txt it was to ring

I always assume anything I get via text from an unknown number is a scam. In the last few weeks I've had:

• the mum text
• the Apple Pay suspended text
• the you need to pay postage to receive your parcel text x 2 (one wanted £149!)
• the apply here for your energy rebate text

I doubt my kids would remember my number to be able to call it from another phone.

I got the mum scam too amongst other rubbish scam texts, they expect people to msg via the number they have given then will ask for money as the persons 'child'.