Be wary if you receive a text message from your child saying their phone is out of service! This is a scam that is wreaking havoc in France at the moment and which aims, lo and behold, to extract money from you.
Imagine: you are quietly going about your business when, suddenly, you receive a message from an unknown number: “Hello mom/dad, my phone is broken. This is my new phone number”, followed by a phone number and a request to send a message via WhatsApp. You may also receive a variation: “Hello mom, it’s me. I had a problem with my phone number, it’s my temporary number. Send me a message on WhatsApp, on this number as quickly as possible! I won’t be able to answer you anymore here since I don’t have credit, I have to talk to you about something…” In short, you will have understood: your offspring has problems!
Don’t fall for it, it’s a scam! Tens of thousands of French men and women have been targeted in recent weeks, forcing the Ministry of the Interior and Overseas Territories to sound the alarm. The authorities named it the“scam to the child who has a problem with his phone” – but she is also known as “Hi Mum/Dad”. Its principle is simple and formidable. The victim receives a text message from an unknown number. A message claiming to come from one of his children who has a problem with his cell phone – theft, loss, breakdown, breakage, etc. – and who urgently asks him for money to replace his device. A distressing situation that encourages people to act without thinking and dive into the trap… The usurper then asks them to contact him at a new number. Sometimes it directly sends a link redirecting to a new discussion on the messaging application WhatsApp, which is encrypted and therefore more difficult to trace by the authorities.
Once the victim takes the bait, the scammer begins a new discussion. Generally, he avoids voice chat, claiming a microphone problem or cellular network unavailability. He then asks her for emergency money for a variable reason – purchase of a new phone, debt, blocked bank account – while promising to reimburse her quickly once he can connect to his banking application – money of which, obviously, the victim will never see the color again.
This is nothing less than the “family emergency” process, in which the hacker pretends to be a loved one in a delicate situation. This type of scam is used for several years with its variant of the “friend in distress” on Facebook and other social networks, with a lot of usurpations of profiles. Some scammers go so far as to make victims believe that someone close to them has been kidnapped and demand a ransom! The “Hello Mom/Dad” scam first wreaked havoc in Australia, with total damage estimated at around $7.2 million for 11,000 victims in 2022. Also very common in Anglo-Saxon countries, it arrived in France at the end of 2022 and is experiencing a strong resurgence today.
In case you receive a message or call like this, try to stay calm and call the person – in this case, your child – at their usual number, even if they say they can’t use it. Typically, she will answer the phone and assure you that the request did not come from her. This will usually be enough to dispel your doubts! The important thing is really not to rush! Then report the attempted fraud to the Signal Spam platform or to that of the Pharos Government. If you have ever been fooled, contact the authorities via the Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr platform or directly at a police station to file a complaint. And don’t forget to notify your bank, to avoid unexpected payments!