UK WhatsApp users are, once again, being urged to watch out for the worrying ‘friends and family’ scam.
If you use WhatsApp to send your daily batch of text messages then you need to be on high alert. It appears scammers are continuing to target UK WhatsApp fans with the worrying ‘friends and family’ attack and falling victim to it could leave you seriously out of pocket.
This threat, which usually starts with a message that says “hi mum” or “hi dad”, isn’t anything new. Cyber crooks have been sending these chats to phones for a number of years, and it’s proven pretty lucrative, with millions handed over to the crooks by consumers thinking their loved ones are in trouble.
Now, the team at Action Fraud have released an update reminding WhatsApp users to stay alert and ‘beware’.
It a post on X (formerly Twitter) Action Fraud said: “Beware of fraudsters posing as friends or family, and claiming to need urgent financial help.”
This trick usually takes place after the scammers have managed to get hold of phone numbers via data leaks. They then send a text, which pretends to be a son or daughter, suggesting their phone has been stolen and they need money to get help.
As Action Fraud confirms, it’s easy to avoid being tricked. All you have to do is call your relative via their usual number.
“If a family member or friend makes an unusual request on WhatsApp, always call the person outside of WhatsApp to confirm their identity,” Action Fraud added.
That’s the first new rule, but there are two more things to consider if you think you are being targeted.
You can block the sender and then report any issue to Action Fraud.
“If you lost money as a result of the scam message, please report it,” Action Fraud confirmed.
THREE WHATSAPP RULES NOT TO IGNORE
CONTACT THEM DIRECTLY: If a family member or friends makes an unusual request on WhatsApp, always call the person outside of WhatsApp to confirm their identity.
BLOCK THE SENDER: Report spam messages or block a sender within WhatsApp. Press and hold on the message bubble, select ‘Report’ and then follow the instructions.
REPORT TO ACTION FRAUD: If you lost money as a result of the scam message, please report it to Action Fraud
This latest warning comes after security experts also issued a similar WhatsApp alert.
“These ‘Hi Mum’ messages weaponise trust, urgency and love. And that makes them more dangerous than any malware. This scam works not because parents are careless, but because they care,” Luis Corrons, Security Evangelist at Norton explained.
“When you get a message from your child saying they’re in trouble, your first instinct is to help. Scammers know that and exploit it.”