Increase in number of people falling victim to 'Hi Mum' text messaging scams
The Value Between Trebled To Three Says The Via Months Almost Of Stolen Bank July Has Money May And Previous Scams The These Ireland Pared Of
There has been a significant increase in the number of people falling victim to family impersonation text messaging scams this month, according to new figures.
Family impersonation scams, also commonly referred to as "Hi Mum" scams, involve a person receiving a text or WhatsApp message purportedly from their son or daughter.
The scammer messages on an unknown number to say their phone has been damaged, stolen or lost, and that they need money to pay for something urgently — most often a new phone, a fine, or a ticket home from a holiday.
According to Bank of Ireland, the number of such cases reported to it has increased by 25% this month, as scammers seek to prey on customers during the busy holiday season, during which time family members are more likely to be away from home.
The phony texts often include a URL or hyperlink in which the victim is requested to enter their bank details or some personal information. However, in other cases, the fraudster provides banking details themselves, and requests their target goes to their local bank branch to transfer funds.
In more recent cases reported to Bank of Ireland, scammers ask for the targets card details to set up a digital wallet on Apple or Google Pay.
The bank says the value of the money stolen via these scams between May and July has almost trebled compared to the previous three months.
Family impersonation scams are just one of several "smishing" scams in circulation at the moment. Gardaí, Revenue, Government agencies, utility companies, and several delivery companies have warned people of phony text messages purportedly being sent by them to unsuspecting victims.
"Smishing attacks come in waves, with the same objective each time — to access people’s bank account details or dupe them into transferring money," said Bank of Ireland's head of fraud Nicola Sadlier.
Ms Sadlier says fraudsters are constantly developing new, more sophisticated variations on similar frauds to catch people out.
"Familiar tactics include fraudsters posing as banks, utility companies, toll operators and Government agencies," she said.
"This time, we have seen the fraudsters turn to family impersonation, targeting a particular vulnerability that preys on a parents’ instinct to respond to a child in trouble in order to access their money."
Ms Sadlier said "Hi Mum" scams have become particularly prevalent during the summer.
“The sense of urgency in this current wave of text message is deliberately designed to cause panic, meaning customers are unfortunately acting on the request before considering a rational response," she said.
Bank of Ireland says any customers who receive an unusual text from a family member should not respond and should not click on any link or URL contained therein.
The recipient should instead verify the identity of the sender by calling or texting the family member using their usual phone number.
Customers have been advised to screenshot suspicious texts and mail the image to 365Security@boi.com. The text should then be deleted.
Any customers who have been duped into giving away their banking or personal details are advised to contact their bank's 24/7 freephone line as soon as possible.