Warning for Hucknall and Bulwell residents over WhatsApp and text scam

Police are warning people to be on their guard after a spike in cases of a WhatsApp or text message in which scammers pretend to be a child of the recipient.
By Martin Hutton
Published 10th Dec 2021, 11:58 BST
The message targets parents, pretending to be a child of the recipientThe message targets parents, pretending to be a child of the recipient
The message targets parents, pretending to be a child of the recipient

The conversation usually begins by the scammer sending a message, pretending their phone has been lost or broken and therefore they're contacting the parent on a different mobile number.

The scammer usually then has a short conversation with the victim to build trust and win the victim over into believing that it is their child contacting them.

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A request is then made for money. Usually the person says they need help with paying some kind of bill, there is also usually an element of time pressure which makes the victim panic into paying.

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If you receive a message like this, contact your children using a different means of communication. Do not call or respond to any message you have received directly.

If you are targeted, please report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or at www.actionfraud.police.uk/.