"Hi mum, this is my new number": how to spot the WhatsApp family scam

This is one of the most painful forms of fraud because it plays on love. You get a message from an unknown number: it's your son or daughter, they have a new phone, their old one broke, and could you quickly pay a bill for them? You want to help. That is exactly what the scammer is counting on.

Take a breath. A couple of simple checks will tell you whether it's really your child.

What does this scam look like?

A made-up example (fictional — not a real conversation):

Unknown number: "Hi mum 👋 This is my new number, my old phone broke. Can you save this one?"

(a little later)

"I can't access my banking app on the new phone 😩 Could you pay a bill for me? It has to be today or I'll get a fine. I'll send you the account details. I'll pay you back tomorrow ❤️"

No video call, no phone call — "because the app isn't working yet." But there is urgency, there is an account number, and there is "I'll pay you back tomorrow." That is the pattern.

The warning signs

1. A new, unknown number claiming to be your child, grandchild, or a close friend.
2. A quick request for money, usually to pay "a bill" or "a payment that won't go through".
3. Urgency. "It has to be today", "or I'll get a fine", "I'm really stuck".
4. No phone or video call. There is always an excuse for why that "isn't possible right now".
5. An account number you don't recognise, sometimes in someone else's name.

What to do

• Call your child's old, familiar number. Or video-call. One real conversation unmasks the scammer immediately.
• Ask a verification question that only your real child can answer — a shared memory, a nickname, something private.
• Pay nothing until you have spoken to them directly.
• Still unsure? Forward the conversation (or a screenshot) to check@islegit.email for a free verdict within a minute.

What NOT to do

• Do not pay "just to be safe".
• Do not transfer money to an account or number you don't recognise.
• Do not trust the new number just because it uses your name — that information is often publicly available online.

If you've already transferred money

Call your bank straight away and ask whether the transfer can be recalled. Report it to your country's fraud service (in the Netherlands, the Fraudehelpdesk on 0800-2117) and file a police report. Block the number and warn family and friends — these scammers usually target several people at once.

This is a safety aid, not a guarantee. We don't store your emails, and personal details are stripped before anything looks at them.

Read next:

• Tikkie payment request scam
• Marktplaats payment scam
• ING phishing email example

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