Hi Mum, I've got a new number: when your "child" asks for money on WhatsApp

Hi Mum, I've got a new number: when your "child" asks for money on WhatsApp

"Hi Mum, I changed my number, save this one and delete the old one." Or "Hi Pa, my phone spoilt, I'm using my friend's phone." It arrives on WhatsApp from a number that is not in your contacts and, a little later, the urgency appears: something has to be paid today and "your child" cannot do it from their own bank. If you have this message open right now, stop for a moment: this is a well-known impersonation scam, and a single call to the usual number takes it apart. Here is what to do, step by step.

How exactly does this scam work?

The scammer does not know who you are. They send the same generic greeting to thousands of numbers and wait for someone to reply. From there, the script is almost identical in every wave:

1. The vague greeting. "Hi Mum" or "Hi Dad", with no name. If you reply "Is that you, Wei Ling?", you have just handed over the name they needed.
2. The new-number excuse. Phone dropped, spoilt, stolen, or "my SIM card got changed". It explains why they are writing from an unknown number.
3. The excuse not to talk. "Cannot call, the mic is not working", "I'm in a meeting", "battery almost flat". The scammer cannot imitate your child's voice, so they avoid any call.
4. A few trust-building messages. Small talk, emojis, "have you eaten?". Nothing is requested yet.
5. The money emergency. A bill due today, a deposit, a purchase that will be cancelled. Since they "have not set up the banking app on the new phone yet", they ask you to pay instead.
6. A third party's account. The money has to go by PayNow or bank transfer to someone else: "my friend", "the landlord", "the shop". If you pay, a second request usually follows.

There is a more dangerous variant: the message arrives from your child's real number because their WhatsApp account has been taken over, usually by tricking them into sharing the six-digit code WhatsApp sends by SMS. The chat looks normal, but the protocol below still works: a voice call exposes it.

What are the red flags in the message?

None of them proves anything on its own, but if you see two or more together, treat it as a scam until proven otherwise:

• An unknown number and an empty or generic profile picture. Numbers with a foreign country code are an extra warning sign.
• No name, no family nicknames, no recent details only your child would know.
• A consistent refusal to talk by voice or to send a voice note.
• Pressure: "must pay today", "if not I lose it".
• The person receiving the money is not your child: when you key in the PayNow number, the name shown is a stranger's or a company's.
• A request for secrecy: "don't tell Dad first, he will scold me".
• A writing style that does not match how they normally message you.

What do I do right now if I have received one?

1. Do not pay and do not reply with personal details. Do not give names, do not confirm anything, and never send any code that arrives by SMS.
2. Call your son or daughter on their usual number, the one saved in your contacts, not the new one. In the vast majority of cases they will answer calmly and the scam ends there.
3. If they do not answer, check another way: their spouse, a sibling, a housemate or a colleague. No payment is so urgent that it cannot wait ten minutes.
4. Ask the new number for a voice note or a video call. A real child will do it without a fuss; the scammer will make excuses.
5. Ask a question that cannot be found on social media: the name of your first pet, what you ate at the last family dinner.
6. Save evidence before blocking: screenshots of the whole chat, the number, and the account or PayNow details they asked you to pay.
7. Block and report the number in WhatsApp (open the chat, tap the name or number and choose "Report"). You can also report the message through ScamShield, and if you are unsure, the ScamShield Helpline (1799) can help you check.

What if I have already paid?

Do not blame yourself: this trick is designed by professionals to get past caution. What matters now is speed:

1. Call your bank immediately on its official number, the one on the back of your card or in its app. Explain that it is a scam and ask them to try to stop or recover the transfer. With instant payments like PayNow the window is short, so every minute counts. If you fear your account is at risk, use your bank's emergency "kill switch" to freeze it.
2. Do not make any more payments, even if the supposed child insists that "only a bit more" is needed.
3. Make a police report online through SPF e-services or at a Neighbourhood Police Centre, with the screenshots and the payment receipt. Your bank will usually ask for the report number.
4. Follow the checklist on ScamShield's I've been scammed page: contact your bank, report to the police, secure your accounts and report the scam to the platform.
5. If your own WhatsApp account has been taken over because you shared a code, register your number in the app again, turn on two-step verification (Settings Account Two-step verification) and warn your contacts.

If anyone is in immediate danger, call 999.

How do I protect my family for next time?

The best defence is for parents and grandparents to know the script before it reaches them. Tell them in these words: "If someone claiming to be me messages you from another number and asks for money, call me on my usual number before you pay anything." A few simple measures:

• Agree a family rule: nobody asks for money by text only; any request is confirmed with a call.
• Agree a code word for real emergencies, shared in person.
• Turn on WhatsApp two-step verification on everyone's phones, and remember that the six-digit code is never shared with anyone.
• Install the ScamShield app on older relatives' phones and set their profile picture so only contacts can see it.

A call and message identification app like NoCall can show you whether a number has already been flagged by other users, but the call to the usual number is what really shuts the door. You will find related cases among our guides.

Frequently asked questions

The message says "Mum" and I do not have children. Why did I get it? Because it is sent in bulk to random numbers or numbers taken from data leaks. You were not chosen: you just ended up on the list.

What if my child really has changed number? Then they will have no problem calling you or sending a voice note. A genuine change of number never comes with an urgent need for you to pay a stranger.

The message comes from my child's usual number. Can it still be a scam? Yes, if their WhatsApp account has been taken over. Phone them instead of using the chat: if the account has been hijacked, they will know nothing about the message.

Is it worth reporting if I did not lose any money? Yes. Reporting the number in WhatsApp and ScamShield, and warning the people around you, helps cut the campaign short.

In short

A new number, an excuse not to talk, urgency and a stranger's account: that is the whole script. The answer is always the same: do not pay, call the usual number and check another way. If you have already paid, call your bank, make a police report and follow ScamShield's checklist. And if you have received the message, report it in the NoCall spam numbers directory: your warning could stop another parent from paying.