S
Sean Camara
Guest
The new “mum and dad” scamming tactic that targets unsuspecting Australians on WhatsApp - Here’s everything you need to know!
Scammers are using a new, cruel tactic to swindle cash from unsuspecting Australians - but one dad knew something was off immediately after getting targeted on WhatsApp.
Dr Alan Baxter, an immunologist, shared a series of messages on WhatsApp from a scammer, who was posing to be his son, this month on Twitter.
The first message from the scammer read: "Hi dad this is my temp number I'm using an old device until my phone is repaired."
The scammer then went on to say that he needed to make a payment of $4770.72 but he could not do so given that he dropped his phone and could not access his banking app.
The fraudster proceeded to ask Dr Baxter to transfer the said amount to an ANZ account to push through with the transaction.
The scammer's narrative seemed to be convincing but there was a telling clue that the messages were not written by Baxter's son...
The doctor said that the way the message was written was not how his son writes text messages, noting that his real son is an English teacher.
Dr Baxter also revealed that he reported the incident to ANZ but he experienced difficulty with the process, claiming that a customer service worker hung up on him after he tried to communicate the issue.
A screenshot of the scammer’s text messages to Dr Braxter. Credit: Twitter/@AlanBixter.
The immunologist then said that he had no choice but to share his experience on social media to raise awareness.
Taking his story to Twitter, Dr Baxter's post gained traction and captured the attention of many people — including ANZ's social media manager who replied to the tweet to inform him that they had forwarded the screenshots to their cybersecurity team.
A week later, Dr Baxter said that the scammer — who was still pretending to be his son — sent him a new text message, asking him for the same amount of money to be transferred to a different bank account.
The scammer sent further text messages a week later after Dr Baxter shared his story on Twitter. Credit: Twitter/@AlanBixter.
Earlier this month, we reported that one of our dear members had fallen victim to this new scamming scheme.
The member shared how she received a text message from a fraudster who pretended to be her daughter and claimed to have lost access to her bank account due to her work computer.
The "daughter" then said that she was not able to pay her bill because of these technical challenges.
The scammer then asked our member to pay the email-style bill on her behalf instead.
However, when the member told her "daughter" that she could not pay the bill via her email, the scammer asked her to put her details into her own banking site instead so she can do it herself.
Our unsuspecting member gave the scammer her login details, thinking that she was only helping her daughter.
More details about the report can be read here.
Coincidentally, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s Scamwatch also released a notice earlier this month to inform the public of a new scamming tactic that the agency dubbed the "mum and dad" scam.
The notice read: “Scammers may pose as family and friends to gain instant trust.”
“If you get an unexpected message from someone claiming they have a new number or new bank account, call them directly on their usual number to confirm.”
Scamwatch reported that Australians have lost a whopping $205 million to scams this year - a 166% increase compared to last year.
Sadly, this figure is only expected to rise, as research shows that only 13% of people actually report their losses to Scamwatch.
So, if you've been scammed, don't be afraid to speak up and warn others!
Stay safe out there, folks! We recommend checking out the Scam Watch section of the SDC website to stay on top of the new scamming tactics used by scammers so you can stay clear from them in case you encounter them.
You may also want to check out (or download) our Guide to Cyber Safety E-book to help you with identifying scams.
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