A Scots mum was conned out of more than £2,500 by a callous scammer who pretended to be her daughter.
Sheelagh Stewart, from East Calder, believed she was talking to daughter Beth, 22, when she received a message saying she had dropped her phone down the toilet and it had been soaked with water.
The 65-year-old pharmacy worker said the convincing messages 'from Beth' explained that she was using a temporary number because of the damage to her device.
The sophisticated con artist, posing as Beth, then sent the mum a panicked text saying her online banking had been frozen for 48 hours due to a security policy.
They claimed to have an £1390.45 invoice they urgently needed to pay for a buy now pay later order.
Sheelagh explained that the wording and grammar used in the messages was so similar to Beth's that she believed they were genuinely from her daughter and instantly transferred the cash.
Speaking to the Record the mum said: "I was convinced the messages were from Beth. The grammar was the same, there was no broken English, it didn't seem like an odd message to receive from her.
"It never crossed my mind to question it. To be told about a broken phone and to be asked for some help is definitely the kind of text a child would send to their parent.
"I've since showed the messages to someone who works in a bank and they said if their daughter had sent them they would have sent them money too.
"Like any mum, my initial reaction was to help her."
Sheelagh went on to transfer a further payment of £1180.28 to the account details provided by the scammer, but despite her daughter asking for such a large sum of cash, the unsuspecting mum believed that Beth must have ordered equipment for her job and simply needed to settle invoices for the goods.
She added: "Beth is a beautician and the salon she was working in had just been raided, so I thought the money must have been for equipment.
"Beth always pays me back, and on that particular day I was in the middle of taking my friend to visit elderly relative who has dementia, so I had a lot on my mind.
"It just never occurred to me that it could be a scam."
But as the text exchanges continued and the scammer went on to ask for another £996.48 sum of cash, Sheelagh began to sense that something was off as her willingness to support her daughter turned to suspicion.
The mum quickly asked her daughter to confirm her identity and the scammers response led to the gut-wrenching moment Sheelagh realised something was seriously wrong.
She continued: "The reply came in as 'mum, stop freaking out' and 'only I would know your hair is blonde.' That was when I realised what was really going on.
"I called Beth straight away and she confirmed it wasn't her."
Now devastated Sheelagh has told how the cruel trick has left her feeling 'stupid' and upset as the con artist has wiped out funds she had been saving to take Beth on a sentimental family holiday.
She said: "I had planned to use that money to take Beth on a really special surprise trip.
"I only earn £9 an hour so that money is a lot of money to me.
"I honestly feel so stupid."
Now, as Sheelagh faces postponing her daughter's dream holiday, the mum's bank Santander has confirmed it has launched a probe into the scam.
A spokesperson said: “We have a great deal of sympathy for the victims of scams and fraud, and we take the protection of our customers and prevention of fraud extremely seriously.
"We are investigating Ms Stewart’s situation and will provide her with an update on her claim shortly.”
Police Scotland also confirmed they are investigating the incident.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 10.30am on Monday, 9 May, police received a report of a person having been the victim of a banking scam in East Calder.
“Enquiries into the incident are ongoing."
Police Sergeant James Gowling of Livingstone Police Station added: “Scammers are becoming ever more sophisticated in how they target their victims and can be very convincing and persuasive in their methods.
“If you are ever unsure of any calls, texts or emails you receive, always make every effort to ensure that he person is who they claim to be, represent who they claim to represent and are legitimate and reputable.
“It is important to remember that fraudsters do not only target the elderly and vulnerable. Absolutely anyone is at risk of becoming a victim of fraud.
“If anyone has any information or is concerned they may have been a victim of a scam, please contact Police Scotland on 101”
Lisa Webb, Which? Consumer Law Expert, added: “These WhatsApp scams are one of the latest brazen examples of callous fraudsters coming up with new tactics to part innocent victims from their hard-earned cash.
“You should be extremely wary of WhatsApp and text messages requesting money, even if they appear to be coming from loved ones.
"If you’re in any doubt at all, give your family member or friend a quick call to check it’s really them.”
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