As technologies became established in our lives, scams also increased. Over the years we have spent from the ‘stamp scam’ to the ‘Whatsapp scam’ and words like ‘phishing’ have entered our vocabulary.
From messages of alleged packages that we have pending collection to failure to pay false costs to distant relatives who suddenly remember us.
One of the latest traps circulating on the internet is that of the ‘son with a broken mobile’. It already appeared at the end of 2022 through Whatsappwhen our supposed descendant wrote to us from another number, alleging that his phone had broken down to later offer us money, something that the Police had already alerted.
Now it returns in the form of a similar scam although with similar spelling and seems to have gone back a few years because he no longer writes by WhatsApp but by the almost obsolete SMS.
“My phone is broken. I can not call”
“Hello mom, my phone is broken. I have a temporary number. I can not call. Can you send a WhatsApp message through WhatsApp?» (sic), and attaches a number, apparently Spanish, to which we can go.
This type of complaint messages can confuse people who are not used to technology or older people who may really think that their child is in trouble.
However, the SMS has been received by people who do not have children or they are very young, which makes it clear that it is a trap.
The mechanics of this scam is not to steal our data by clicking on the number or a link -because the message does not attach it-, but to get us to bite and, effectively, write for the quintessential instant messaging application to that phone number, worried about our children.
Once the conversation has started, our supposed son will reveal to us that he is in trouble and that he needs us to please make two urgent transfers, for which he attaches two separate bank account numbers.
The amounts required vary depending on the message, but go up to 1,400 per transfer
This scam, which, as we have already said, is not new and It was seen on WhatsApp and Telegram In the last quarter of last year, it has caused a lot of talk on Twitter where even a user went viral thanks to the hilarious conversation she had with the alleged scammer, whom she really treated like her son, making fun of him.
These types of practices are becoming more common and even today there are many people who fall into the trap, so from the Police and other authorities are insistent that we never click on any link whose origin is suspicious to us.