Parents are being swindled out of thousands of pounds in a sophisticated new scam involving fraudsters posing as their children.
n the past eight weeks scammers have tricked local mums and dads out of a total of £65,000 through the free phone platform WhatsApp.
One distraught Co Armagh woman has warned people to be on their guard after she was duped out of £1,300, believing she was lending it to her son.
Too distressed to be named, she was later told by police that scammers were hacking phones looking for mum or dad numbers and then posing as their children asking for money. Two weeks on and she is still completely devastated by the con.
She explains what happened: “It started with ‘Hi mum it’s me’ and once I had identified which son it was we started to have a conversation during which at no point did I suspect it wasn’t my son talking to me.
“He said he was using a friend’s phone because his was broken and he was in a panic because he couldn’t access his bank account online and had two urgent bills to pay totalling £1,300.
“He asked could I help him out and said he would pay me back in two days once his new phone was sorted. He told me he was using a friend’s borrowed phone and it was no good as the microphone didn’t work.
“I tried ringing him on WhatsApp but of course there was no answer. For some reason I didn’t try ringing in the ordinary way.”
By that stage she says her mothering instinct had kicked in and all she could think about was that her son was in trouble and needed her help.
She adds: “Mothers protection is the only thing I can say, we become like a lioness wanting to protect and save her cub.
“My heart was racing. I transferred the money he asked for to his ‘friends’ account so it could be accessed straight away through his phone.
“The penny dropped when he asked for proof of sending money and I just thought ‘Why would he need proof?’ Sure he would see it on the account.
“Thankfully I refused the proof then rang my son on an ordinary telephone line and he answered. My heart sank to my boots. I instantly knew then I had been scammed and that I had fallen for it.”
The bank and PSNI are now working to try and get her money back but the trauma has left her not only out of pocket but distressed by something she never believed could have happened to her.
She adds: “It has left me feeling, stupid, violated, traumatised and I can’t sleep or stop crying since it happened. I just keep going over and over it and beating myself up for not seeing through it at the start.
“The police have tried to reassure me that this is a sophisticated scam.
“Please for those who read this and think they wouldn’t fall for this, think again because you just might when you think your son or daughter is in trouble. Logic disappears. Fight and protect appears.”
Police are urging members of the public to talk to older family members about the scam which appears to be targeting older people in particular.
Superintendent Gerard Pollock, Chair of Scamwise NI, said: “We are continuing to see this scam circulating. In each case, a person purporting to be a daughter or son, asks for money.
“Fraudsters will try anything to trick people. Scams may come in all shapes and sizes, but they have one thing in common – scammers rely upon the good faith and vulnerability of those they target. Hard-earned savings can easily be gone in a flash and, with it, one’s confidence.
“Please don’t get caught out. If you get a message make contact with your son or daughter on their usual number. Don’t get into a text or WhatsApp conversation with the scammers. Spot it. Stop it.”
For further advice and information visit www.nidirect.gov.uk/scamwiseni or the ScamwiseNI Facebook page @scamwiseni.
