One version of the scam reads: 'Hello mum, I’ve broken my phone and I’m using a friends old one.

So far, there have been two examples of the scam moving over to text messages, from WhatsApp. There have also been cases where fraudsters managed to access chat history and continued ongoing conversations to appear more convincing.

Which? first became aware of this scam at the end of 2021 when a victim told them that a fraudster impersonating his sister had a convincing conversation with her which led to her transferring money for 'car repairs'. What to look out forīeware of the 'hi mum' scam (Image: Which?) As a result they issued advice on what the scams look like as well as how to avoid and report them. Which? reported that earlier this year Action Fraud warned it had received 1,235 reports of criminals posing as loved ones in need on WhatsApp between February 3 and June 21 this year, amounting to a total financial loss of £1.5m. READ MORE: Warning over Whatsapp scam as people conned out of hundreds This heartless scam comes at a time when hearing that a loved one is in need of some financial support to pay urgent bills may not be too much of a surprise. The scammers target parents by impersonating their normally grown-up children and asking them to send money to help them out. The cyber con originally started doing the rounds on messaging app WhatsApp but now it has been spotted on a number of text messages too.

Which? consumer experts have issued a message warning that scammers are continuing to prey on parents. A warning has been issued as the number of 'hi mum' scams are increasing.

Whatsapp scams messages