A particularly prevalent and vicious scam is doing the rounds on WhatsApp with hundreds of people getting targeted by the innocuous 'Hello mum' or 'Hello dad' message. More than £1.5m in cash has been scammed from unsuspecting victims in just four months in the UK.
Margaret, a pensioner from Cardiff who didn't want to give her surname, was one of those taken in by the scammers, who usually start off claiming they are texting from a new mobile number, either because their phone is lost or damaged.
Margaret received a message from someone she believed to be her daughter, saying "Hi mum, it's your favourite daughter". Unsuspecting Margaret said she had no reason to doubt the authenticity of the message because it seemed so natural.
