“Hello dad, I lost my phone, you can send me a Whatsapp message to this number.” Fabien, father, received this SMS on his cell phone one day. He then immediately agrees to what he believes is his son’s request by replying to her on Meta’s messaging service.
But when he asks him to call him, his interlocutor apologizes for a problem with the microphone that prevents him from making the call. Fortunately, the criminal behind this scam eventually makes a mistake when Fabien sets him up. To the question “are you at work?”, the person behind the phone answers “yes” even though Fabien’s son is at university. He then understands that it is a scam attempt and interrupts him.
A very particular process that Fabien is far from the only one he has faced in recent months.
A scam appeared in Australia in 2022
First appearing in Australia last year, this scam technique has also been causing victims in France since the end of 2022. And the process seems to have even intensified since then in France.
In fact, several dozen reports are sent per week to the prevention and victim assistance platform cybermalveillance.gouv.fr, with damages that in some cases amount to several thousand euros.
Scammers who play on the “parent fiber”
“The supposed child who is actually a criminal will use the excuse of the unexpected expenses he must face to ask his parents for money,” he explains.
If you receive these types of messages, it is advisable to immediately try to call your child at their usual number. In any case, never send money until you have successfully contacted them. Finally, you can send a report to cybermalveillance.gouv.fr.
Source: BFM TV
