Parents who use WhatsApp warned to ignore two-word phrase or risk losing money
Billions of users worldwide use WhatsApp, but now they are all being warned that one scam is still doing its rounds - and successfully.
Despite countless warnings, scammers are still able to steal thousands from those who do not know about it, or fall for it and send their details.
The infamous parent scam is a disturbingly effective technique for criminals to extract cash from vulnerable WhatsApp users. For those unfamiliar with this trick, the text often start off with something innocent such as "Hi mum" or "Hi dad" and once the person falls for it, the scammers swoop in and con them.
Should the target fall for the initial approach, the scammers make up a story about losing their phone and that they need money for a replacement. Whilst it might sound like no parent would fall for this, the scammers are becoming smarter, and victims have been conned out of thousands.
Latest data from Santander UK reveals that fraudsters impersonating sons have achieved the greatest success, with those pretending to be daughters coming second. This was then followed by fake mums.
In a bid to stop further people becoming victims of this con, Action Fraud released a new alert encouraging WhatsApp users to remain cautious, reports Bristol Live.
"Beware of fraudsters posing as friends or family, and claiming to need urgent financial help," Action Fraud warned in a post on X (previously Twitter).
Their guidance stated: "If a family member or friend makes an unusual request on WhatsApp, always call the person outside of WhatsApp to confirm their identity."
Action Fraud further encourages people to remain alert and take swift action by blocking any odd messages and reporting them if they believe they've been targeted by a messaging scam.
They explained: "Report spam messages or block a sender within WhatsApp.
"Press and hold on the message bubble, select 'Report' and then follow the instructions. If you lost money as a result of the scam message, please report it to Action Fraud."
The advice is simple - if you receive a text from an unfamiliar sender, don't respond.
If the message purports to be from a family member, ignore the text and ring your relative directly to confirm it's genuine and establish whether it's fraudulent.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
Man wins £9k after Google captures him naked at home
A police officer whose backside was exposed to the world on Google Street View has won more than £9,000 in compensation. The Argentinean man was caught naked while a Google Street View car was taking images of his town in the province of Buenos Aires. The officer was on his patio when the vehicle whizzed by and snapped his behind – which was then uploaded online for billions of people to see. The red-faced man was awarded more than £9,000 in compensation after a fierce legal battle, with judges ruling Google had invaded his privacy. The cop claimed he had been standing behind a six-foot wall when he was pictured naked, but Google insisted it wasn't high enough. The first legal battle went Google's way, reports La Nacion. A judge ruled it was the police officer's fault because he was 'walking around in inappropriate conditions in the garden of his home'. They also decided that 'the only person able to identify who the naked person was, was the actual man'. The 'policeman shot himself in the foot' by his own action, the judge concluded. But appeal judges overturned this decision and ordered Google Argentina and Google LLC to pay the man a total of 16 million pesos – around £9,600. Judges decided that even though the police officer's face was not visible, his address could still be determined by the street numbers. They wrote: 'This involves an image of a person that was not captured in a public space but within the confines of their home, behind a fence taller than the average-sized person. The invasion of privacy… is blatant. 'There is no doubt that in this case there was an arbitrary intrusion into another's life'. They added that there was 'no justification for (Google) to evade responsibility for this serious error that involved an intrusion into the plaintiff's house, within his private domain, undermining his dignity. No one wants to appear exposed to the world as the day they were born.' The ruling comes after a number of experts advised people to blur their house on Google Street View. More Trending Security expert Will Geddes told Metro that criminals could use Google Maps to scope out properties and form plans to break in. He said: 'Blurring your house prevents anybody from getting any really specific information or intelligence on it.' Anyone looking to obscure their home on Street View needs to first find their property on the map. Then they can click 'Report a problem' in the lower right corner and fill out the relevant form. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Lionel Messi reaction to MLS suspension revealed MORE: Google is reading your WhatsApp messages by default – here's how to stop it MORE: Fact check: Is the US using planes for deportations to throw people into the ocean?
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Cop injured amid 'disturbance' in Scottish Borders as witness appeal launched
Police say the incident was contained and they are not lookign for any one else in relation. A police officer has been left injured following a "disturbance" in the Scottish Borders. The incident unfolded around 10amon Saturday, July 26, when Police Scotland was called to a property in the Howdenbank, Hawick. During the course of the incident, one officer was injured but did not require hospital treatment. Another man, aged 35, was taken to hospital for treatment. Detectives are now appealing for information. Detective Sergeant Kim Allan said: "This was a contained incident and we are not looking for anyone else in connection. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. "This incident happened on a quiet residential street and we are hoping that locals have captured the disturbance on their private CCTV or dash-cams. "Anyone with information or footage that could help our investigation, should contact 101, quoting reference 1184 of 26 July, 2025."
Daily Record
2 hours ago
- Daily Record
Cops seize £630k of drugs in just three days in major crackdown across Scotland
Thousands of pounds of drugs has been intercepted by police throught a series of raids and intelligence-led operations. More than £630,000 worth of drugs has been removed from Scotland's streets in just three days in a police crackdown. A series of raids and intelligence-led operations have been carried out across the country since Wednesday, July 23. Cocaine worth £360,000 was found after officers executed a warrant at a property in the Owen Avenue area of East Kilbride on Wednesday, July 23. A 34-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection and was due to appear at Hamilton Sheriff Court on Friday, July 25 The same day, police raided a flat on Allison Street in Glasgow, recovering more than 350 cannabis plants worth around £128,000. In Aberdeen, heroin and adulterants valued at approximately £80,000 were seized from a property on Ritchie Place. Two women, aged 27 and 29, were arrested and charged, and were set to appear at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on Thursday, July 24. A third woman, aged 26, was arrested and later released pending further inquiries. On Friday, July 25, officers acting on intelligence stopped a vehicle near Burnee, Alloa, uncovering 2kg of cocaine worth an estimated £70,000. Two men, aged 27 and 38, were arrested in connection. Detective Chief Superintendent David Ferry said: 'These seizures mean around £638,000 worth of drugs have been removed from our streets and highlights our dedication to tackling drug crime in Scotland. 'Controlled substances are dangerous and cause real harm to individuals, families and communities. They are illegal for that very reason. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. 'Working closely with our partners, we remain focused on targeting individuals and organised crime groups, who selfishly exploit vulnerable people solely for their own financial gain. 'Results like these shows our commitment to the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce and the country's Serious Organised Crime Strategy. 'We rely on information from the public and anyone with information or concerns about drugs should contact Police Scotland on 101 or make a call anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.'
