"Hello mum, I've got a new phone, please save the number": how a WhatsApp scam hit families in north Wales

What happened?

North Wales Police said scammers tried to steal £24,000 from people in north Wales alone. That was in two weeks at the start of January 2022. Victims in Wales lost an average of almost £2,500 each. ¹

One mother in Denbighshire got a WhatsApp message that began "Hi mum". It said her daughter's old phone had crashed and asked her to save a new number. The two chatted for a while, and then the "daughter" asked for help paying an invoice. ¹²

The mother sent £2,100, but the payment bounced. Police think the bank already considered the scammer's account suspicious. ¹²

A woman on Anglesey saved a new number under her daughter's name and made four transfers totalling £4,800. The bank became suspicious and the last transfer didn't go through. ¹²

A detective constable with the force said many victims were women with adult children. The detective constable advised calling people back on a different number to check it's really them. ¹

Across the UK, the national fraud reporting service received 1,235 reports between 3 February and 21 June 2022. The reports described criminals posing as loved ones on WhatsApp. They involved losses of £1.5 million. ³

How did the scam work?

1. A friendly first message from an unknown number, saying they've got a new phone and asking you to save the number.
2. Chat to build trust. The scammer makes small talk the way your child might.
3. A reason they can't pay. There's no banking app on the "new" phone.
4. The request. A bill, invoice or deposit paid to an account that isn't your child's. That makes it a type of APP fraud.
5. Some versions ask for your WhatsApp code instead. See one-time passcode scams.