SayNoToScams Practise these

Scam types in Australia

“Hi Mum” texts and family emergency calls

The first message never asks for anything. It says a phone is broken and this is the new number, and its only job is to earn a warm reply — so that when the trouble arrives, it lands inside a conversation instead of out of the blue.

There is always a reason they cannot take a call, because the voice is the one thing that cannot be faked. Ring the number you have always used, even after being told it is dead. If nobody answers, ask the new number something small and shared that is not on Facebook.

Also called Hi Mum scam, Hi Dad text, new number scam, grandparent scam, family emergency call scam

Practise these 3 messages I have already paid or replied

3 example messages, all scams. Every one is invented for practice, and each links to a page explaining exactly what gives it away.

Text message Family impersonation (“Hi Mum”)

A scam. Australians lose more to this one text than to almost anything else.

From
+61 478 220 9141
Received
Today 7:41 pm

Hi mum, I dropped my phone in the sink and it’s dead2. This is my new number1 — save it and delete the old one x

Oh no! Are you okay?

All good, just annoying. Actually I’m in a bit of trouble3 — there was a payment due today on the replacement and my banking app won’t load on this handset. Could you transfer $1,450 and I’ll pay you back Friday?4

Can’t really talk, I’m still at work — easier over text5

The 5 signs

  1. A new number you cannot verify
  2. A reason the old number won’t answer
  3. The trouble arrives second
  4. A transfer to a person, not a business
  5. They won’t take a call
Is the “Hi Mum, this is my new number” text a scam?

Phone call Emotional urgency (grandparent scam)

A scam — and the cruellest one in the drill.

Caller
Private number
Number
Number withheld
Screen
Incoming call · no caller ID1

CallerGrandma? It’s me. I’m in a bit of trouble and I didn’t know who else to ring2.

Sweetheart? You sound different.

CallerI’ve got a broken nose, that’s why3. There was an accident and I’ve been charged. I need $4,000 for the bail bond this morning, or I’m stuck in here over the weekend4.

CallerPlease don’t tell Mum and Dad, they’ll kill me5. My lawyer will ring you in a minute and tell you where to send it.

The 5 signs

  1. You can’t see who is calling
  2. “It’s me” — never a name
  3. A reason the voice sounds wrong
  4. A deadline with a cruelty attached
  5. “Don’t tell Mum and Dad”
Is the “Grandma, I’m in trouble” call a scam?

Social media message Cloned profile

A scam. The photo is your aunt. The account is not.

Where
Facebook Messenger
From
Kath Wilson
Profile
New profile · 2 mutual friends

Hi love, my old account got hacked so this is my new profile1 — add me back? x

Are you free to help me with something quickly?2 Don’t say anything to your mum, she worries3.

The 3 signs

  1. A “new profile” you cannot verify
  2. A vague ask, first
  3. Keep it from the family
Is the “my old account got hacked” friend request a scam?

Practise

Reading about it is not the same as catching it

The drill shows these messages without the answers, one at a time, and asks you to call it.

Start the “hi mum” texts and family emergency calls set

The signs behind all of them

Eight signs, and what to say

Every message on this page relies on at least one of eight moves. One page, free to print.

Learn the eight signs