I got a "Hi Mom, this is my new number" WhatsApp. Is it a scam?
Very likely, yes. In the "Hi Mom" or "Hi Dad" scam the sender pretends to be your child with a new number, chats for a while, then urgently needs an EFT for a phone, rent or a bill and cannot call because the new phone "has no sound".
The messages are sent to thousands of numbers; the scammer waits for whoever answers "which child is this?" and plays along. Phoning your child on their old number ends the scam in one minute.
What to do
- Phone your child on the number you already have. Do not use the new one.
- Ask something only your child would know, and do not accept "I cannot talk right now".
- Never EFT money to a new account number sent by text, even "just this once".
- Report the number to WhatsApp and block it.
- If you paid, phone your bank immediately.
Frequently asked questions
- They knew my child's name. How?
- Often they did not: you told them when you asked "is this Thabo?". Sometimes names come from public social media profiles.
Want to know if there are warning signs about the person you're chatting to? Veritaza checks the photos, the messages, the number, the email address, the name and the ID document, for R99.
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