"Hi Mum" or "Hi Dad" Scam — Email Follow-Up After WhatsApp Message
You received a WhatsApp message from someone claiming to be your child saying they have a new phone number. They then follow up by email asking for money. This is the "Hi Mum" or "Hi Dad" scam — one of the fastest-growing fraud types in the UK, Ireland, and Australia. The person messaging you is not your child.
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How This Scam Works
Critical Risk — One of the Fastest-Growing Scams in the UK, Ireland, and Australia
The "Hi Mum" or "Hi Dad" scam starts with a WhatsApp message from someone pretending to be your child. They then follow up by email asking for money. The person contacting you is not your child.
You receive a WhatsApp or text message from an unknown number claiming to be your son or daughter. They say they've lost their phone or have a new number. The conversation starts friendly — "Hi Mum, it's me, I've got a new phone." Over the next few messages, they build trust by mimicking how your child communicates.
Then they ask for money. There's an urgent bill to pay, rent is due, or they need money transferred quickly and can't access their banking app on the new phone. They may follow up with an email containing bank details for the transfer, adding a layer of perceived legitimacy.
According to Action Fraud, "Hi Mum/Dad" scams resulted in over 3.5 million pounds in losses in the UK in a single reporting period. In Australia, the ACCC reported this as one of the fastest-growing scam categories, with losses increasing dramatically in 2023. An Garda Siochana has issued specific warnings about this scam targeting Irish families.
Red Flags
- WhatsApp or text from unknown number claiming to be your child with a new phone
- They ask for money urgently — rent, bill, emergency
- They follow up by email with bank transfer details
- They avoid phone calls or video calls
- The bank account provided for transfer does not belong to your child
What You Should Do
What To Do
- Do not send any money until you verify it's really your child
- Call your child's original phone number — it will often still work
- Ask a question only your real child would know the answer to
- If you can't reach them, contact another family member to check
- Report the scam to your local fraud agency
How to Verify Legitimately
The simplest verification is to call your child's original phone number. In most cases, their old number still works because the scammer's story about a lost/new phone is fabricated. If the original number doesn't work, call another family member to confirm the situation. You can also ask a personal question that only your real child would know — like the name of a childhood pet or a specific family memory.
Sources
- Action Fraud UK — Warning about 'Hi Mum/Dad' scams — "Hi Mum/Dad" scam losses (3.5 million pounds in a single reporting period)
- Scamwatch (ACCC) — Family impersonation scam growth in Australia
- An Garda Síochána — Fraud — Family impersonation scam warnings for Ireland