Australians have lost over $7 million to the ‘hi mum’ text message scam in 2022. Here’s more on the scam where fraudsters pose and family members, convincing people to send money.
What is the ‘hi mum’ text scam?
‘Hi, Mum’ scams or family impersonation scams are where fraudsters pose as family members and extort money from people. The scam usually occurs via Whatsapp and the scammers pose a friend or family member with a lost or damaged phone, contacting them from a different number. As per the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC), the number of people falling victim to the scam increased more than 10 times in the last three months.
The ACCC reports reveal, in 2022, $7.2 million was stolen from a minimum of 11,000 victims. The regulator also noted that the number of victims surged since August. “We’re urging Australians to be wary of phone messages from a family member or friend claiming they need help, following a significant rise in ‘Hi Mum’ scams. More than 1,150 people fell victim to the scam, with total reported losses of $2.6m,” tweeted the ACCC.
Who is falling victim to text scams?
As per the ACCC, women over 55 years were the most susceptible to a ‘hi mum’ scam. It is urging people to verify suspicious messages. “If you’re contacted by someone claiming to be your son, daughter, relative, or friend, start by calling them on the number already stored in your phone to confirm if it’s no longer in use. If they pick up – you know it’s a scam,” stated Delia Rickard. Rickard is the Deputy Chair of ACCC.
“If you still can’t contact your family member or friend, consider asking a personal question a scammer couldn’t know the answer to, so you know the person you are speaking to is who they say they are,” added Rickard. She also urged people to never send money to people they are not sure about.
