Trading Standards - Hello Mum/dad Scams

6th September 2024

According to the recent Big Scottish Scam Survey, some of the most common scams experienced by Scottish consumers are so-called 'Hello Mum/Dad' scams.

This is when a scammer poses as a family member or friend and sends messages via text or WhatsApp to ask you to transfer money to pay an urgent bill or invoice. 25% of respondents to the survey had experienced one of these scams in the past year.


In one recent example (shown above), the scammer impersonates the recipient's son and says they have a new phone number. They include a link, supposedly to contact them via WhatsApp. The link leads to a malicious site which asks for personal and account details.

Another respondent to the scam survey had received a WhatsApp message that seemed to be from her daughter, saying she was in trouble and asking for money urgently. The woman already had her daughter's bank details so transferred the money immediately.
Her daughter then phoned to ask why the money had been transferred, at which point the woman realised the initial message had been from a scammer. Thankfully she had not transferred money to an account provided by the scammer.
How to Avoid

WhatsApp advise that you should STOP, THINK and CALL if you receive an unexpected message asking you to transfer money or purchase gift cards.
Verify that it really is your friend or family member by calling them directly, or asking them to share a voice note. Only consider the request once you are certain that it is from someone you know and trust.

Don't click on links in unexpected messages - if the message says the link leads to a WhatsApp account, open your WhatsApp account to find the person's profile rather than clicking on a link.

Find Out More
ScamShare PDF: www.tsscot.co.uk/Spotlight-WhatsApp.pdf
Which? advice: conversation.which.co.uk/scams/whatsapp-impersonation-family-friends-new-number
WhatsApp advice on avoiding scams: faq.whatsapp.com/general/security-and-privacy/about-spam-and-unwanted-messages