
Parents who use WhatsApp warned to ignore two-word phrase or risk losing money
Billions of users worldwide use WhatsApp, but now they are all being warned that one scam is still doing its rounds - and successfully.
Despite countless warnings, scammers are still able to steal thousands from those who do not know about it, or fall for it and send their details.
The infamous parent scam is a disturbingly effective technique for criminals to extract cash from vulnerable WhatsApp users. For those unfamiliar with this trick, the text often start off with something innocent such as "Hi mum" or "Hi dad" and once the person falls for it, the scammers swoop in and con them.
Should the target fall for the initial approach, the scammers make up a story about losing their phone and that they need money for a replacement. Whilst it might sound like no parent would fall for this, the scammers are becoming smarter, and victims have been conned out of thousands.
Latest data from Santander UK reveals that fraudsters impersonating sons have achieved the greatest success, with those pretending to be daughters coming second. This was then followed by fake mums.
In a bid to stop further people becoming victims of this con, Action Fraud released a new alert encouraging WhatsApp users to remain cautious, reports Bristol Live.
"Beware of fraudsters posing as friends or family, and claiming to need urgent financial help," Action Fraud warned in a post on X (previously Twitter).
Their guidance stated: "If a family member or friend makes an unusual request on WhatsApp, always call the person outside of WhatsApp to confirm their identity."
Action Fraud further encourages people to remain alert and take swift action by blocking any odd messages and reporting them if they believe they've been targeted by a messaging scam.
They explained: "Report spam messages or block a sender within WhatsApp.
"Press and hold on the message bubble, select 'Report' and then follow the instructions. If you lost money as a result of the scam message, please report it to Action Fraud."
The advice is simple - if you receive a text from an unfamiliar sender, don't respond.
If the message purports to be from a family member, ignore the text and ring your relative directly to confirm it's genuine and establish whether it's fraudulent.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Teacher banned from the classroom after having sex with colleague in art room during school day
A teacher at an all-girls grammar school in Gloucestershire has been banned from teaching for having sex with a colleague on multiple occasions in an art classroom. Liyarna Beamish, 39, had taught at Ribston Hall High School since 2016 and had engaged in an affair with a fellow teacher for two years before it was uncovered last summer. The school was contacted by a third-party on 26 June 2024, who informed them that Ms Beamish had been engaging in sexual intercourse during school hours. They were also shown screenshots of messages sent between the two teachers, which were sexual in nature and had been sent during the working day. During an investigatory meeting, she admitted having sex on school premises, and confirmed messages on WhatsApp showed the two organising their liaisons. When asked on how many occasions had this occurred, she replied: 'Couple of years - multiple occasions'. She also responded that they had engaged in sexual intercourse in the 'art room, and two art cupboards, both doors locked, downstairs door locked as well'. Having been referred to the TRA, the panel concluded that her behaviour had been 'sexually motivated' and that her behaviour had fallen 'very far short of the standard of behaviour' that was required in the profession. It was also found that she had shown 'limited evidence of insight and/or remorse'. The report concluded: 'For these reasons, the panel was satisfied that the conduct of Ms Beamish amounted to misconduct of a serious nature which fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession. Accordingly, the panel was satisfied that Ms Beamish was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct.' She has now been banned from teaching indefinitely in any educational institution, but can apply for the prohibition order to be removed in two years.


Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Jay Slater's death in Tenerife was accidental fall from height
An inquest was launched into the 19-year-old's death after he went missing- sparking a massive search of the holiday island. Tragic teenager Jay Slater died after falling from a height in Tenerife last summer, a coroner has ruled. An inquest was launched into the 19-year-old's death after he went missing- sparking a massive search of the holiday island. The Mirror reports that Jay was found dead in a Tenerife ravine last year, triggering a massive, weeks-long island-wide search that saw rescuers comb dozens of miles Jay, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, was holidaying on the Spanish island and had been to the NRG music festival with a group of pals at the Papagayo nightclub in the resort of Playa de las Americas, on June 16 last year. He vanished the morning after going to the Airbnb and was reported missing on June 18. An inquest into his death has heard testimony from members of his family and acquaintances who helped in search and recovery efforts, with the proceedings at Preston Coroner's Court culminating today in a ruling from the presiding coroner. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Dr James Adeley ruled that Jay "died an accidental death" after he fell from a height and into the Juan López ravine in Buenavista del Norte. He added that the fall of 20 to 25 meters would have resulted in 'instant' death due to skull trauma. The doctor added: "There was no third party involved." The inquest had previously heard that Jay was formally identified using finger and palm prints as his remains were "mummified" when they were discovered. The post mortem found his body had undergone 'extensive mummification' due to him being out in the hot sun for several weeks.


Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Son of British mum on death row in India says 'I want to watch her hanged'
Ramandeep Kaur Mann faces the death penalty in India for murdering her husband Sukhjit Singh while he slept. The son of a British mum facing the death penalty in India has said he wants to watch her hanged. Ramandeep Kaur Mann was convicted after trial of killing husband Sukhjit Singh, with the help of her secret lover Gurpreet Singh while on a family trip to India in 2017. Ramandeep laced her husband's biryani with sedatives before smothering him with a pillow as he slept. Gurpreet then bashed childhood friend Sukhjit over the head with a hammer, with Ramandeep finally slitting his throat, reports the the Birmingham Mail. The brutal murder in Banda, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, was said to be over Sukhjit's £2 million life insurance policy. Ramandeep's eldest son Arjun, who was nine at the time, helped secure his mother's conviction. He woke up and witnessed the horrific killing. He even gave evidence against his mum in court, Daily Mail reports. Ramandeep's legal team has since claimed Arjun was was 'tutored' to provide false and that relatives fabricated the case against her. They are now appealing her conviction. But Arjun - whose family is from from Littleover, Derby - has said that he does not regret giving evidence in court and wants to watch his mum being hanged. He said: "There are not many children who watch their mother kill their father and then give evidence about it. "How do you try and get on with your life after something like this? "I've had to be very brave and I'm proud of what I've done because I've got justice for my father. "My brother and me don't think of this woman as my mother anymore, she's evil. "We want nothing to do with her. As far as I'm concerned, she stopped being a mother to us the moment she murdered our father." Commenting on her death sentence, he said: "I would like to be there when it happens. "It doesn't fill me with fear, in fact, it would give me a lot of satisfaction and relief and I look forward to that day. "I would like all my family to be there with me. I would like to see with my own eyes that justice for my father has been served. "She deserves to hang because she did such an evil thing she did." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you. We're also on Facebook - your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day from the Daily Record, Sunday Mail and Record Online