![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/new-warning-over-hi-mum-text-scam-as-victim-sends-thousands-of-pounds-to-fraudsters/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2_Confused-angry-young-woman-having-problem-with-phone.jpg&description=Criminals are using sophisticated techniques by spending days in contact with potential victims after sending a 'Hi Mum' message and gaining their trust before asking for money A pensioner was almost scammed out of £3,500 as finance experts issued fresh warnings over the type of underhand tactics fraudsters are using. The elderly woman believed that she had been talking to her daughter on WhatsApp for four days, when in fact it was a scammer. The victim - who wished to remain anonymous - was tricked into transferring £3,385.58 into her 'daughter's' bank account under the pretence that she needed to buy an new Apple MacBook in order to access her online banking. Luckily, in this case an automated bank check stopped the woman from losing her savings to the shameless scammers. But this id not stop her from feeling "utter fool" over the incident. Scams such as these have become commonplace, with fraudsters contacting hundreds of potential victims via text messages or WhatsApp pretending to be their children. They will then say they have either lost or broken their phone and now have a new number. Over the following days they will remain in contact with the parent with a series of everyday messages and even answer calls with static noise claiming their new phone's microphone is broken. Professor Steven Murdoch of University College London warned Brits to watch out for these types of sophisticated 'Hi mum' cons - a type of Authorised Push Payment (APP) scam - reports This Is Money. The Payment Systems Regulator describes APP scams as ones that involve victims being conned into transferring money to criminals posing as a genuine payee, such as someone's relative. Professor Murdoch went on to tell the MailOnline: "A common strategy is to make it urgent. Something terrible is happening and if you do not pay it is something worse will. "It puts people under pressure and makes people not think." He noted that the 'Hi mum' scams operate in a different way though by stretching t){kind=link}
Criminals are using sophisticated techniques by spending days in contact with potential victims after sending a ‘Hi Mum’ message and gaining their trust before asking for money
A pensioner was almost scammed out of £3,500 as finance experts issued fresh warnings over the type of underhand tactics fraudsters are using.
The elderly woman believed that she had been talking to her daughter on WhatsApp for four days, when in fact it was a scammer. The victim – who wished to remain anonymous – was tricked into transferring £3,385.58 into her ‘daughter’s’ bank account under the pretence that she needed to buy an new Apple MacBook in order to access her online banking.
Luckily, in this case an automated bank check stopped the woman from losing her savings to the shameless scammers. But this id not stop her from feeling “utter fool” over the incident. Scams such as these have become commonplace, with fraudsters contacting hundreds of potential victims via text messages or WhatsApp pretending to be their children.
They will then say they have either lost or broken their phone and now have a new number. Over the following days they will remain in contact with the parent with a series of everyday messages and even answer calls with static noise claiming their new phone’s microphone is broken.