“Hi Mum” Scams and How to Spot Impersonation

In most cases, impersonation scams work because they rely on the receiving person being fully convinced they’re talking to someone important in their life (or a celebrity). When combined with a matter that’s urgent, you might get convinced to send money or vital information to solve problems that seem improbable at first.

This is the basis of the “Hi mum” scams (and its many variations). Here’s how to spot and avoid this and similar family impersonation scams.

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Recheck the Phone Number That You Have Memorized

In most cases, the “Hi mum” scams will start with a message explaining that your family member has lost their phone alongside another problem that requires an immediate payment. This can be especially convenient with the rise of online banking that needs the original physical device to process payments.

Typically, the scammer will send a message from a random phone number, but more sophisticated scams will try to use a number with the same service code to appear more legitimate.

What the scammers can’t do is actually shut down the original person’s phone. So, you can try finding their number in your phone contacts and re-checking if it actually works. Making a direct phone call will ensure that your loved one’s phone is fine and that there’s no urgent issue at all.

Try to Probe the Scammer for Details

Generally, scammers try to make as few messages as possible. A typical scenario will have just two messages. The first explains the problem and creates the coincidence for its urgency. The second will have the payment request and its information.

In most cases, you shouldn’t engage with the scammers in any way, as that only allows them to lure you in more.

However, if you ask for more information, typically pertaining to your loved one’s details that can’t be guessed easily, the scammers will usually fold and go away. Family impersonation scams on this level are still operated on the basis of being broad and fast, so having to spend more time and seeing that you’re trying to double-check will often lead them to stopping any further contact.

Additionally, note that the “Hi mum” scams don’t actually hack into your loved one’s information. They’re simply sending messages to your phone numbers, banking on the fact that you have a child that has a believable problem. Even some minor details like pet names or dates of their last visit are not something that the scammers will know.

Talk With Your Family on Preventing Scams

While you might think that the scam predominantly targets the elderly, that’s not entirely true. Many people between the ages of 35 and 50 can fall for the scam simply because they have children, careers, and their own parents to take care of. So when they get an urgent message, they might not think to check twice.

If your parents aren’t quite knowledgeable about how family impersonation scams work, make sure to spend some time and educate them on checking basic information (such as phone number).

You can also create a password that will be used for emergencies, such as when losing the phone, that can help make sure you’re on the same page when messaging each other from an unknown phone.

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