Scammers new target - mothers

Online scammers seem to have found a new weak spot – mothers.

Scams that target the mothers of children are becoming more common and sophisticated. 

It starts with a message, which seems plausible from a child. It says something like, ‘Hi Mum, I have a problem with my phone – can you send me a WhatsApp message to this number as I’ve run out of credit’.

Or the message can simply ask for money. 

The advice is to ignore the message and simply call your child on their regular number – don’t reply to the number the message was sent on.

The messages from the scammers a few months ago were rather crude – and often in the wrong language, such as being sent in English to a French or German speaking family.

But now the languages are likely to match – even in Swiss German.

The advice is never to send bank details or passwords over the phone. 

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