Another incidence of fraud is in the news. Australians have lost nearly $7 million as a result of a fraudulent mail this time.
The majority of the scam was conducted via WhatsApp, as fraudsters sent messages posing as family members and requesting money.
According to Money control, the scammers sent ‘Hi mum’ in the messages to get the victim’s attention.
The scammer started requesting money once the victim became convinced that the person texting them was actually their son, daughter or another member of their immediate family, pretending that their phone was missing and using a new phone number to call for assistance.
Most of the victims were older than 55-year-old women. According to statistics, over $7.2 million has already been defrauded by about 11,000 people.
The Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) claimed that the number of frauds raised rapidly in the last three months.
It said, ‘We’re urging Australians to be wary of phone messages from a family member or friend claiming they need help, following a significant rise in ‘Hi Mum’ scams. More than 1,150 people fell victim to the scam, with total reported losses of $2.6 million.’
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