Discover how one savvy dad outsmarted scammers by pointing out a small detail

We’ve all heard stories of scammers, but it turns out these criminals are no match for this clever dad from Sydney who recently foiled a scam attempt.

He immediately knew it was a scam due to a small detail in the message he received.


Ian Whitworth, co-founder of the Sydney-based audio-visual company Scene Change, took to social media recently to share a photo of the phishing attempt—all-too-dubiously disguised as a text from his daughter.

The message reads: 'Hey dad, dropped my phone in the sink while doing the dishes. It’s unresponsive—this is my new number for now. Just text me here x'


Screenshot 2023-09-22 100913.png
Ian Whitworth shared a photo of the phishing attempt he received. Credit: Ian Whitworth/LinkedIn


Now, grammar and punctuation aside, what gave it away to Whitworth that this was a scam was simple—his daughter would never do the chore mentioned by the scammers: the dishes!


Whitworth wrote: 'Cybersecurity update. I just got this. Perhaps the funniest phishing text any parent has ever received. “Doing the dishes”, yeah, for sure.'

While it seemed this dubious attempt was the funniest Whitworth had ever received, many other commenters replied to his post with more amusing comments, especially from other parents.

‘My son or daughter would never ever do the dishes,’ one pointed out.

‘The biggest giveaway that it isn’t from my son or daughter is that they didn’t ask for money,’ another person stated.

A commenter pointed out: ‘The biggest giveaway that it isn’t from my son or daughter is that they would never have dad’s number anywhere but on their phone.’

‘My own prospective scammer had a much more believable reason for changing phones—dropped in the toilet,’ a fourth person shared.


The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) explained that the so-called ‘Friends/Family Hi Mum’ impersonation scam, like the one Ian received, was common.

'Scammers send messages pretending to be a family member or friend desperately asking for money,’ they said. ‘They say they have a new phone, and they need you to pay money to help them out of a crisis.’

The ACCC added: ‘Sometimes scammers may even use your family or friend's real photo, making the scam harder to spot.’


The organisation also warned that scammers may use technology to make their calls seem like it’s coming from a legitimate phone number.

‘Scammers trick you into thinking they are from organisations, such as the police, government, banks and well-known businesses. They can even pretend to be your friend or family member.’

The ACCC also offered the following advice:

‘Don't assume a person you are dealing with is who they say they are. If someone you know sends a message to say they have a new phone number, try to call them on the existing number you have for them, or message them on the new number with a question only they would know the answer to.’


Last year, the ACCC reported that more than 1,150 Aussies fell victim to this type of scam in the first half of 2022, with a total loss of $2.6 million.

‘Unfortunately, these unscrupulous scammers are targeting women and older Australians, with 82 per cent of family impersonation scams reported by people over the age of 55, accounting for 95 per cent of all reported losses,’ ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said last year.

‘If you have reason to believe you have been scammed, contact your bank as soon as possible as they may be able to find where the money went, block scam accounts, and help others to avoid sending money to scammers,’ she advised.

If you received a message you suspect is a scam, you may report it to Scamwatch here. They said victims should report it even if they didn’t lose money.

You can watch The Project’s report on the scam here:



Key Takeaways
  • Ian Whitworth, co-founder of Scene Change, took to social media to share a phishing attempt against him that claimed to be from his daughter.
  • The text message claimed his daughter had dropped her phone in the sink whilst doing the dishes and was texting from a new number.
  • Whitworth shared the text message to warn others of the scam, commenting humorously that his real daughter would never be doing the dishes.
  • The Scamwatch website run by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) highlights this type of 'Friends/Family Hi Mum' impersonation scam as common and advises caution and verification when dealing with unexpected requests for money.

So folks, the next time you receive a text from a family member or friend with a sudden request for money—it’s probably worth checking before engaging.

What do you think of the story, members? Have you received similar messages claiming to be your relative? Share your experience in the comments below!
 
Sponsored
We’ve all heard stories of scammers, but it turns out these criminals are no match for this clever dad from Sydney who recently foiled a scam attempt.

He immediately knew it was a scam due to a small detail in the message he received.


Ian Whitworth, co-founder of the Sydney-based audio-visual company Scene Change, took to social media recently to share a photo of the phishing attempt—all-too-dubiously disguised as a text from his daughter.

The message reads: 'Hey dad, dropped my phone in the sink while doing the dishes. It’s unresponsive—this is my new number for now. Just text me here x'


View attachment 30550
Ian Whitworth shared a photo of the phishing attempt he received. Credit: Ian Whitworth/LinkedIn


Now, grammar and punctuation aside, what gave it away to Whitworth that this was a scam was simple—his daughter would never do the chore mentioned by the scammers: the dishes!


Whitworth wrote: 'Cybersecurity update. I just got this. Perhaps the funniest phishing text any parent has ever received. “Doing the dishes”, yeah, for sure.'

While it seemed this dubious attempt was the funniest Whitworth had ever received, many other commenters replied to his post with more amusing comments, especially from other parents.

‘My son or daughter would never ever do the dishes,’ one pointed out.

‘The biggest giveaway that it isn’t from my son or daughter is that they didn’t ask for money,’ another person stated.

A commenter pointed out: ‘The biggest giveaway that it isn’t from my son or daughter is that they would never have dad’s number anywhere but on their phone.’

‘My own prospective scammer had a much more believable reason for changing phones—dropped in the toilet,’ a fourth person shared.


The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) explained that the so-called ‘Friends/Family Hi Mum’ impersonation scam, like the one Ian received, was common.

'Scammers send messages pretending to be a family member or friend desperately asking for money,’ they said. ‘They say they have a new phone, and they need you to pay money to help them out of a crisis.’

The ACCC added: ‘Sometimes scammers may even use your family or friend's real photo, making the scam harder to spot.’


The organisation also warned that scammers may use technology to make their calls seem like it’s coming from a legitimate phone number.

‘Scammers trick you into thinking they are from organisations, such as the police, government, banks and well-known businesses. They can even pretend to be your friend or family member.’

The ACCC also offered the following advice:

‘Don't assume a person you are dealing with is who they say they are. If someone you know sends a message to say they have a new phone number, try to call them on the existing number you have for them, or message them on the new number with a question only they would know the answer to.’


Last year, the ACCC reported that more than 1,150 Aussies fell victim to this type of scam in the first half of 2022, with a total loss of $2.6 million.

‘Unfortunately, these unscrupulous scammers are targeting women and older Australians, with 82 per cent of family impersonation scams reported by people over the age of 55, accounting for 95 per cent of all reported losses,’ ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said last year.

‘If you have reason to believe you have been scammed, contact your bank as soon as possible as they may be able to find where the money went, block scam accounts, and help others to avoid sending money to scammers,’ she advised.

If you received a message you suspect is a scam, you may report it to Scamwatch here. They said victims should report it even if they didn’t lose money.

You can watch The Project’s report on the scam here:



Key Takeaways

  • Ian Whitworth, co-founder of Scene Change, took to social media to share a phishing attempt against him that claimed to be from his daughter.
  • The text message claimed his daughter had dropped her phone in the sink whilst doing the dishes and was texting from a new number.
  • Whitworth shared the text message to warn others of the scam, commenting humorously that his real daughter would never be doing the dishes.
  • The Scamwatch website run by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) highlights this type of 'Friends/Family Hi Mum' impersonation scam as common and advises caution and verification when dealing with unexpected requests for money.

So folks, the next time you receive a text from a family member or friend with a sudden request for money—it’s probably worth checking before engaging.

What do you think of the story, members? Have you received similar messages claiming to be your relative? Share your experience in the comments below!

I received a text saying "hi mum". I have no kids 🤣🤣🤣
 
I received the exact same one a few days ago and burst out laughing.
* Firstly, I'm a mum, not a dad (last time I looked!).
* Also, the grammar, or lack of it, is a dead giveaway.
* They would definitely use the words "could you" and "please".
* Lastly, my 'kids' are grown up, too proud and independent and would,
therefore, never ask me for something like that!
Still laughing while writing this...! :ROFLMAO:
 
Last edited:
Received this quite a while ago - promptly contacted all three of my grown up kids who all said it’s a scam. And it was “Hi Mom”. We never use mom (that is an American word).
 
We’ve all heard stories of scammers, but it turns out these criminals are no match for this clever dad from Sydney who recently foiled a scam attempt.

He immediately knew it was a scam due to a small detail in the message he received.


Ian Whitworth, co-founder of the Sydney-based audio-visual company Scene Change, took to social media recently to share a photo of the phishing attempt—all-too-dubiously disguised as a text from his daughter.

The message reads: 'Hey dad, dropped my phone in the sink while doing the dishes. It’s unresponsive—this is my new number for now. Just text me here x'


View attachment 30550
Ian Whitworth shared a photo of the phishing attempt he received. Credit: Ian Whitworth/LinkedIn


Now, grammar and punctuation aside, what gave it away to Whitworth that this was a scam was simple—his daughter would never do the chore mentioned by the scammers: the dishes!


Whitworth wrote: 'Cybersecurity update. I just got this. Perhaps the funniest phishing text any parent has ever received. “Doing the dishes”, yeah, for sure.'

While it seemed this dubious attempt was the funniest Whitworth had ever received, many other commenters replied to his post with more amusing comments, especially from other parents.

‘My son or daughter would never ever do the dishes,’ one pointed out.

‘The biggest giveaway that it isn’t from my son or daughter is that they didn’t ask for money,’ another person stated.

A commenter pointed out: ‘The biggest giveaway that it isn’t from my son or daughter is that they would never have dad’s number anywhere but on their phone.’

‘My own prospective scammer had a much more believable reason for changing phones—dropped in the toilet,’ a fourth person shared.


The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) explained that the so-called ‘Friends/Family Hi Mum’ impersonation scam, like the one Ian received, was common.

'Scammers send messages pretending to be a family member or friend desperately asking for money,’ they said. ‘They say they have a new phone, and they need you to pay money to help them out of a crisis.’

The ACCC added: ‘Sometimes scammers may even use your family or friend's real photo, making the scam harder to spot.’


The organisation also warned that scammers may use technology to make their calls seem like it’s coming from a legitimate phone number.

‘Scammers trick you into thinking they are from organisations, such as the police, government, banks and well-known businesses. They can even pretend to be your friend or family member.’

The ACCC also offered the following advice:

‘Don't assume a person you are dealing with is who they say they are. If someone you know sends a message to say they have a new phone number, try to call them on the existing number you have for them, or message them on the new number with a question only they would know the answer to.’


Last year, the ACCC reported that more than 1,150 Aussies fell victim to this type of scam in the first half of 2022, with a total loss of $2.6 million.

‘Unfortunately, these unscrupulous scammers are targeting women and older Australians, with 82 per cent of family impersonation scams reported by people over the age of 55, accounting for 95 per cent of all reported losses,’ ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said last year.

‘If you have reason to believe you have been scammed, contact your bank as soon as possible as they may be able to find where the money went, block scam accounts, and help others to avoid sending money to scammers,’ she advised.

If you received a message you suspect is a scam, you may report it to Scamwatch here. They said victims should report it even if they didn’t lose money.

You can watch The Project’s report on the scam here:



Key Takeaways

  • Ian Whitworth, co-founder of Scene Change, took to social media to share a phishing attempt against him that claimed to be from his daughter.
  • The text message claimed his daughter had dropped her phone in the sink whilst doing the dishes and was texting from a new number.
  • Whitworth shared the text message to warn others of the scam, commenting humorously that his real daughter would never be doing the dishes.
  • The Scamwatch website run by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) highlights this type of 'Friends/Family Hi Mum' impersonation scam as common and advises caution and verification when dealing with unexpected requests for money.

So folks, the next time you receive a text from a family member or friend with a sudden request for money—it’s probably worth checking before engaging.

What do you think of the story, members? Have you received similar messages claiming to be your relative? Share your experience in the comments below!

The simple reply would "And they dropped you on your head" if you have a safe way of sending it
 
We’ve all heard stories of scammers, but it turns out these criminals are no match for this clever dad from Sydney who recently foiled a scam attempt.

He immediately knew it was a scam due to a small detail in the message he received.


Ian Whitworth, co-founder of the Sydney-based audio-visual company Scene Change, took to social media recently to share a photo of the phishing attempt—all-too-dubiously disguised as a text from his daughter.

The message reads: 'Hey dad, dropped my phone in the sink while doing the dishes. It’s unresponsive—this is my new number for now. Just text me here x'


View attachment 30550
Ian Whitworth shared a photo of the phishing attempt he received. Credit: Ian Whitworth/LinkedIn


Now, grammar and punctuation aside, what gave it away to Whitworth that this was a scam was simple—his daughter would never do the chore mentioned by the scammers: the dishes!


Whitworth wrote: 'Cybersecurity update. I just got this. Perhaps the funniest phishing text any parent has ever received. “Doing the dishes”, yeah, for sure.'

While it seemed this dubious attempt was the funniest Whitworth had ever received, many other commenters replied to his post with more amusing comments, especially from other parents.

‘My son or daughter would never ever do the dishes,’ one pointed out.

‘The biggest giveaway that it isn’t from my son or daughter is that they didn’t ask for money,’ another person stated.

A commenter pointed out: ‘The biggest giveaway that it isn’t from my son or daughter is that they would never have dad’s number anywhere but on their phone.’

‘My own prospective scammer had a much more believable reason for changing phones—dropped in the toilet,’ a fourth person shared.


The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) explained that the so-called ‘Friends/Family Hi Mum’ impersonation scam, like the one Ian received, was common.

'Scammers send messages pretending to be a family member or friend desperately asking for money,’ they said. ‘They say they have a new phone, and they need you to pay money to help them out of a crisis.’

The ACCC added: ‘Sometimes scammers may even use your family or friend's real photo, making the scam harder to spot.’


The organisation also warned that scammers may use technology to make their calls seem like it’s coming from a legitimate phone number.

‘Scammers trick you into thinking they are from organisations, such as the police, government, banks and well-known businesses. They can even pretend to be your friend or family member.’

The ACCC also offered the following advice:

‘Don't assume a person you are dealing with is who they say they are. If someone you know sends a message to say they have a new phone number, try to call them on the existing number you have for them, or message them on the new number with a question only they would know the answer to.’


Last year, the ACCC reported that more than 1,150 Aussies fell victim to this type of scam in the first half of 2022, with a total loss of $2.6 million.

‘Unfortunately, these unscrupulous scammers are targeting women and older Australians, with 82 per cent of family impersonation scams reported by people over the age of 55, accounting for 95 per cent of all reported losses,’ ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said last year.

‘If you have reason to believe you have been scammed, contact your bank as soon as possible as they may be able to find where the money went, block scam accounts, and help others to avoid sending money to scammers,’ she advised.

If you received a message you suspect is a scam, you may report it to Scamwatch here. They said victims should report it even if they didn’t lose money.

You can watch The Project’s report on the scam here:



Key Takeaways

  • Ian Whitworth, co-founder of Scene Change, took to social media to share a phishing attempt against him that claimed to be from his daughter.
  • The text message claimed his daughter had dropped her phone in the sink whilst doing the dishes and was texting from a new number.
  • Whitworth shared the text message to warn others of the scam, commenting humorously that his real daughter would never be doing the dishes.
  • The Scamwatch website run by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) highlights this type of 'Friends/Family Hi Mum' impersonation scam as common and advises caution and verification when dealing with unexpected requests for money.

So folks, the next time you receive a text from a family member or friend with a sudden request for money—it’s probably worth checking before engaging.

What do you think of the story, members? Have you received similar messages claiming to be your relative? Share your experience in the comments below!

i think my reply would be, TOUGH LUCK.
 
  • Haha
  • Like
Reactions: Leenie and mOiOz
Received a phone call about 5.10pm last night from Audika, offering a free appt for a family member or friend as I hadn't been since 2021 . When I asked if she was sure that was where she was from she said the S. A office. Promptly told her no way and hung up. I pay monthly for my hearing aids that they supplied and visit the local guy regularly. Blocked the number and wished them good luck.
 
I golt a few saying Hi mum I lost my phone last night,can you transfer $$$ in my account. I knew it was a scammer, so I deleted them.. now with Telstra when you get a sms and you think it is a scam you now can turn the sms blue forward to 7662 that is telstra ,they will sort it out. since i been sending them to telstra i don't get them any more
 
We’ve all heard stories of scammers, but it turns out these criminals are no match for this clever dad from Sydney who recently foiled a scam attempt.

He immediately knew it was a scam due to a small detail in the message he received.


Ian Whitworth, co-founder of the Sydney-based audio-visual company Scene Change, took to social media recently to share a photo of the phishing attempt—all-too-dubiously disguised as a text from his daughter.

The message reads: 'Hey dad, dropped my phone in the sink while doing the dishes. It’s unresponsive—this is my new number for now. Just text me here x'


View attachment 30550
Ian Whitworth shared a photo of the phishing attempt he received. Credit: Ian Whitworth/LinkedIn


Now, grammar and punctuation aside, what gave it away to Whitworth that this was a scam was simple—his daughter would never do the chore mentioned by the scammers: the dishes!


Whitworth wrote: 'Cybersecurity update. I just got this. Perhaps the funniest phishing text any parent has ever received. “Doing the dishes”, yeah, for sure.'

While it seemed this dubious attempt was the funniest Whitworth had ever received, many other commenters replied to his post with more amusing comments, especially from other parents.

‘My son or daughter would never ever do the dishes,’ one pointed out.

‘The biggest giveaway that it isn’t from my son or daughter is that they didn’t ask for money,’ another person stated.

A commenter pointed out: ‘The biggest giveaway that it isn’t from my son or daughter is that they would never have dad’s number anywhere but on their phone.’

‘My own prospective scammer had a much more believable reason for changing phones—dropped in the toilet,’ a fourth person shared.


The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) explained that the so-called ‘Friends/Family Hi Mum’ impersonation scam, like the one Ian received, was common.

'Scammers send messages pretending to be a family member or friend desperately asking for money,’ they said. ‘They say they have a new phone, and they need you to pay money to help them out of a crisis.’

The ACCC added: ‘Sometimes scammers may even use your family or friend's real photo, making the scam harder to spot.’


The organisation also warned that scammers may use technology to make their calls seem like it’s coming from a legitimate phone number.

‘Scammers trick you into thinking they are from organisations, such as the police, government, banks and well-known businesses. They can even pretend to be your friend or family member.’

The ACCC also offered the following advice:

‘Don't assume a person you are dealing with is who they say they are. If someone you know sends a message to say they have a new phone number, try to call them on the existing number you have for them, or message them on the new number with a question only they would know the answer to.’


Last year, the ACCC reported that more than 1,150 Aussies fell victim to this type of scam in the first half of 2022, with a total loss of $2.6 million.

‘Unfortunately, these unscrupulous scammers are targeting women and older Australians, with 82 per cent of family impersonation scams reported by people over the age of 55, accounting for 95 per cent of all reported losses,’ ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said last year.

‘If you have reason to believe you have been scammed, contact your bank as soon as possible as they may be able to find where the money went, block scam accounts, and help others to avoid sending money to scammers,’ she advised.

If you received a message you suspect is a scam, you may report it to Scamwatch here. They said victims should report it even if they didn’t lose money.

You can watch The Project’s report on the scam here:



Key Takeaways

  • Ian Whitworth, co-founder of Scene Change, took to social media to share a phishing attempt against him that claimed to be from his daughter.
  • The text message claimed his daughter had dropped her phone in the sink whilst doing the dishes and was texting from a new number.
  • Whitworth shared the text message to warn others of the scam, commenting humorously that his real daughter would never be doing the dishes.
  • The Scamwatch website run by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) highlights this type of 'Friends/Family Hi Mum' impersonation scam as common and advises caution and verification when dealing with unexpected requests for money.

So folks, the next time you receive a text from a family member or friend with a sudden request for money—it’s probably worth checking before engaging.

What do you think of the story, members? Have you received similar messages claiming to be your relative? Share your experience in the comments below!

I got a msg the other day allegedly from Australia Post !!!!! saying that my parcel was going to be delayed.!!!! and that I need to update my details.!!!!! Really,is that right is it. Well,there's just one problem. I didn't order anything and so I'm definitely not expecting a parcel of any sort. I went down to my local post office and showed them the msg and they said " No way is that from us. And we would NEVER send anyone a msg like that" Just delete it they said. So, everyone be careful out there. And DONT EVER tap on the link they send you.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bunyip57
We're very lucky, our service provider sends all directly to spam and notifies us via txt. Not sure how they do it but it's very comforting.
 
  • Like
Reactions: June E
I had one myself......I simply rang my son to make sure. Simple. I am sure there are a lot of people, especially non tech savvy or elderly people, that sadly get taken in by these attempts. In saying that I hope to God I am not gonna have a bad day and click before my brains engaged. Grin !!
 

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