A wave of families have come forward warning of a scam tricking parents into thinking their children are in trouble and need a cash transfer.
Thousands of people are thought to have been targeted, including the mother of BBC football commentator Jacqui Oatley and a woman from Dorset who was duped out of nearly £10,000.
The criminal poses as an adult son or daughter rather than a child, referring to issues such as ‘bills’ that need paying. Her son happened to be travelling in Mexico at the time, giving the fraudsters the perfect hook to make her believe he was in a tight spot.Caption: WhatsApp scam warning after TV presenter\’s mum targeted Provider: Twitter @JacquiOatley
Jackie York, 79, from Oxfordshire, told The Times how she only realised she had been scammed when the person texting her failed to thank her for sending the money. But the sudden flurry of similar attempts bears the hallmarks of a coordinated ‘spray and pray’ strategy used by fraudsters who get their hands on a list of people’s phone numbers.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
TV celebrities join forces to object to massive Shropshire solar farm planImpressionist Alistair McGowan has teamed up with TV actor Tim Wallers to campaign against a massive solar farm in south Shropshire.
Read more »
Samsung 65-inch 4K TV is a massive £500 off on Amazon Prime DayAmazon has a staggering price cut for its Samsung 65-inch 4K TV for Amazon Prime Day, selling at £499 - 50% off.
Read more »
Game Of Thrones creator says book ending will differ to TV showGame Of Thrones creator confirms book ending will differ to TV show.
Read more »
The Story Behind 'As Dusk Falls', the Video Game That's Challenging Prestige TVCreative director Caroline Marchal opens up about the long road to creating the upcoming Xbox title, and the importance of a diverse team
Read more »
Emmerdale star Michael Parr announces big new job away from TVThe former soap star is going back to where his acting career started
Read more »
Glasgow Mela highlights to feature on TVHIGHLIGHTS from the Glasgow Mela will be featured on TV later this month.
Read more »