Beware of bogus texts from friends or family

“Hello Mum. I am using this phone as mine is broken.”

Police are warning people receiving this or similar texts that they could be the target of scammers.

An alleged phone scam resulted in a large amount of money being handed over to individuals impersonating the victim’s family member in January.

A 40-year-old male has been arrested in connection to this and investigations are ongoing. He remains in police custody.

“We continue to warn our communities about scam calls and messages – fraudsters posing as family members, police officers, or bank workers to convince the caller to withdraw thousands,” said a police spokesperson.

A message to ‘mum’ is a typical start to a scam message from an unknown number or the fraudsters might use a common name in the hope it matches a friend or relative.

“They will say that they are messaging from a new mobile number as their phone was lost, damaged or stolen and will go on to ask for money. They may give the reason of purchasing a new phone or claim that they need money urgently to pay a bill.”

How to stay safe:

• Always verify requests in person or verbally to ensure you are speaking to the person that you think you are;
• If you receive a message like this, try contacting your loved one by calling the number you already have for them;
• Check on senior relatives, friends or neighbours, or others who might be vulnerable to scammers, and warn them about the potential threat of scam calls.