Scam warning as woman loses £3,600 in con that ‘anyone can fall for’ | Personal Finance | Finance

A woman was scammed out of thousands of pounds by a fraudster who convincingly claimed to be her son.

Sharing her story to Alexis Conran on the Jeremy Vine show, Amanda said she initially lost an eye-watering £3,600 to the ‘Hi Mum’ scam currently sweeping the nation.

Explaining the first message from the scammer claiming to be her son, Amanda, from Devon, said: “He said he had dropped his phone in water and that it didn’t work. His friends had lent him an old one – which wasn’t working very well – and that I must delete his old number and keep this new one.

“That was repeated a couple of times, so I deleted it. I tried to phone him, but there was a lot of crackling on the line.”

Instead, Amanda said she exchanged messages with the scammer, who came across as “kind”, telling her that he “missed” her and that he was “looking forward” to seeing her.

Amanda continued: “I’d been away, I was tired – I was at a football match, it was noisy. It caught me completely unaware.

Moving onto how the scammer asked for the money, she said he, still posing as her son, told her he had some bills that needed paying or they’d charge him “masses of interest” and there would be “problems”.

Amanda said: “He said he was very stressed and at his wit’s end, and that he didn’t know what to do. Because of my son’s business, I thought this could make sense. Because the amount of money they started to ask for was large.”

Mr Conran then asked whether Amanda had any doubts in her mind that she was communicating with her son.

Amanda said: “None at all. Because of the way the message was written with the language and the way he texted.

“I sent two lots of money. One was about £1,700, one was £1,900. I then tried to send two more lots but the bank phoned me.”

It was only at that point that Amanda started to question whether something was wrong. She said: “Luckily, I knew my son’s phone number off by heart and when I phoned him, he answered. Then the penny dropped.”

Amanda then spoke to the bank, which stopped the third and fourth payments. She “eventually” got the first two instalments back, which she said she found stressful – if not more.

She said: “Because, once I lost it, it was sort of finished with. But then I was advised to contact the CEO, and I was helped to word a letter – not to complain but to ask for help.

“I then had to wait another couple of months before they decided whether they would reimburse me. Luckily they did, but it was so stressful. I was angry at myself.”

Mr Conran responded: “Do not be angry with yourself, anybody can fall for this scam if they don’t know about it.”

He added: “It’s really important that we share these stories so other people will recognise them and hopefully not fall for the same scams.”

Hi Mum’ scams are a type of Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud, in which a fraudster poses as a friend or family member of the victim over an online messaging platform to gain their trust before asking them for money.

Typically, the fraudster might claim to be a son or daughter of the victim who has lost their phone or had to change their number unexpectedly.

Research from Visa has revealed that APP scams are currently rife across the UK, with one in three consumers falling victim and over half (53 percent) saying it’s getting harder to spot the signs.

In addition, the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau and Action Fraud report that victims lost over £460,000 to ‘Hi Mum’ scams in 2023.

Britons are being urged to be even more vigilant of this scam as Mother’s Day approaches.

Mandy Lamb, managing director, UK&I at Visa commented: “Fraudsters impersonating friends and family members prey on the goodwill of their victims, often causing emotional and financial distress.

“Falling victim to fraud can be devastating in any circumstances, and we urge people to remain vigilant this Mother’s Day to any messages or contact from unknown numbers.

“If you’re unsure that contact is genuine, try reaching out to them over another platform to confirm if they are trying to get in touch. We would also suggest that anyone who thinks they may have fallen victim to contact their bank as soon as possible.”

How to avoid falling victim to a ‘Hi Mum’ scam

Validate they are who they say they are – it can be hard to tell the difference between legitimate organisations and sophisticated scammers.

A spokesperson from Visa said: “If you are unsure, you can check by using a different form of communication to the one they have used to reach you. For example, if you get a text asking for bank information, try phoning the company directly to check if it’s a true request.

Be wary of unexpected contact – cold calls or unexpected emails should raise suspicions.

Visa said: “Remember, it is highly unusual for legitimate organisations to ask for sensitive information or personal details with no prior warning so don’t respond without confirming validity.”

Finally, Visa said always take the time to consider whether a payee is genuine. They added: “Don’t feel pressured to rush a payment, as a legitimate organisation will not put pressure on you to rush. If you’re unsure, talk it through with someone you trust. They may have received a similar message and might be able to help advise on the best course of action.”

Visa recommends those who do fall for a scam should seek support and advice. It said: “Please contact your bank if you think you might have fallen victim to APP fraud as they will be able to provide expert help and advice.

“In addition, resources such as Action Fraud and Victim Support can provide help after crime. These organisations offer free and confidential support and are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.”