We’ve been scammed!

Juno I am really happy that my warning helped you avoid what happened to us. Excellent news.

I'm so glad your money was repaid maddyone. Thank you so much for your warning. I had just such a WhatsApp message this evening and due to your post on here my suspicions were immediately aroused and I did not respond to it. The message was reported and number blocked.

Thank you again for all your kind comments and good advice. We got the money back into our account yesterday and the person/persons who did this have been apprehended by the police and the case is going to court. I’m so glad it has been helpful to many of you to know the way these people operate. An apparent message from your adult child asking for you to make a payment for them which they will refund is difficult to refuse. As my adult child said, I would never ask you in a text/WhatsApp message to borrow money, please speak to me in person if anything like this happens again, even if I’ve apparently changed my phone. That’s the best advice I think.

There are some truly horrid people around. Thank you for your warning.

Please do not feel you have been silly - these people are very very clever. Many sensible people have been taken in.

I am gad that the bank is going to sort it all for you.

Have WhatsApp users seen this.

www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2021/05/19/apple-iphone-and-google-android-users-do-you-need-to-change-your-whatsapp-settings/?sh=2190428039a0

It is possible to set up an access code on WhatsApp. Anybody trying to hack into your account would need the access code. You need to go into your privacy settings to set it up.

remember that the criminals are expert at doing this.
it is their way of life, their daily work, so to speak.
so don't feel bad if you get caught. they are expert fishers/phishers.
rather be glad that you do not have a criminal's mind or intent.

I am so sorry Maddyone. I hate to report that my husband fell for something while we were on vacation earlier this week. It happens SO FAST!

Scammers have learned how to make things look so authentic and it only takes a second when distracted to fall for it.

We were not out any money, but we did have to lock down credit as it has all been compromised. They tried to get me the next day by calling me. Luckily, I hung up on the woman.

It was kind of you to relay your story on here Maddyone to warn others of this sadly not unusual scam.
We all like to think we would never be taken in, and even though some are easy to spot, others can be convincing.

Our newspaper covers these dreadful scams on a regular basis with readers explaining in detail just how easy it is to be taken in by these awful hoaxes.

I remember reading one woman’s story who said she was an intelligent, educated woman who had run her own business for many years, yet still she was taken in by a very sophisticated hoax.

The more these awful crimes are highlighted, the more on our guard we will all be.

This identical scam mother and son phone payment was featured on BBC 1 this week..hacking accounts..u have to check personally or banks will not refund payments

My neighbour is 84 and has just been scammed today with a purported Royal Mail text, telling her they were holding a parcel that had been underpaid. She clicked the link and entered her credit card details, but luckily her daughter came round and has managed to get her card cancelled.

There are lots of Royal Mail scams I've discovered, some of them are listed here for reference.

www.royalmail.com/help/scam-examples

Thank you for all your kind comments everyone. Getting to people via their children is probably the most effective way to work a scam. Most of us would find it very difficult to refuse our children if they desperately need money. These scammers pile on the pressure by saying ‘Mum, I need to make this payment today’ so it has to be done quickly, giving the parent less time to think about it. I really can’t believe we fell for it, but we did. They even asked for our credit card details if the payment wouldn’t go through, but we didn’t give those. The trouble is that you think your child is having a short term financial difficulty because her new phone wouldn’t process the payment she was trying to make. It’s an emotional situation. I don’t want anyone else to fall for this, please tell all your friends and family members.

Commiserations, what a horrible experience Maddyone. The effort that goes into tricking unsuspecting people out of their money is despicable. One of the great downsides of modern day life. All any of us can do, is to make as many others aware of how feasible some of these scams appear.

Thanks for the warning Maddyone Glad you managed to sort it.
Got idea about using a code EMM

Thanks for the heads up on this one. I would have done excactly as you did maddyone

However now I will stop and think if I get a similar text and discuss a family code as back up.
Thank you.

So glad you will get your money back maddyone. Using children to scam parents is one of the things that would probably work the best.

Hope you are past the stress and worry now

So sorry Maddy and on top of everything else too. I’ve been scammed twice, got my money back both times, but the way yours was done I would have definitely fallen for that one, so unfair when you have so many other worries too. Hope it’s sorted out quickly xx

MetyleStreep I asked how they got her number because the OP said her daughter wasn't hacked.

Aveline

So how did the scammers get your number to send the WhatsApp?

Aveline
They are hackers. They hack into phones, bank accounts, etc.
That’s not to say that all hackers are bad people. Some do it as an exercise just because they can and to see how far they can
get in that’s their buzz.

www.pandasecurity.com/en/mediacenter/mobile-news/types-hackers/

EMMF1948

When we have family travelling, or living overseas in this instance, we have a code phrase, if that phrase isn't in the message we would treat it as scam until we know otherwise,

That's a great ídea, might consider using that in our family.

Aveline I have no idea. I don’t pretend to know how these people do things, I just know they did.

So how did the scammers get your number to send the WhatsApp?

Oh that’s good MaddyOne. Bad enough to get scammed without her account being hacked too.

maddyone My daughter did say that had her daughter not been in the room, she probably would have believed it was her. I'm sure I would have too had I not read your warning today. I don't think you were stupid. These people are very clever. I think aI would have done as you did. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Kate, I love it. Unfortunately my daughter is in New Zealand, and even the times are different, and so we thought she was working and that’s why she didn’t answer her phone. Were we stupid? A big fat YES. That’s why I want everyone to know about it and why I started this thread. I managed to find the other thread on this very subject and added a post on there too which brought that thread back to prominence.

Blossoming, they didn’t log into my my daughter’s WhatsApp account, they created a new account for her. This is what I received;

Hi mum, this is my new number. My phone doesn’t turn on anymore so now you can text and call me on this number. ?

It was very plausible, and I fell for it. The request for money came later in the evening.