Discover how one savvy dad outsmarted scammers by pointing out a small detail
- Replies 25
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'
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:
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!
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'
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:
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!
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