Hi Mum / Hi Dad scam texts: how to spot and check them

The "Hi Mum" (or "Hi Dad") scam opens with a message from an unknown number claiming to be your child with a lost or broken phone. After a little small talk to build trust, the "child" needs urgent help paying a bill because their banking app is locked on the old phone.

Got one right now? Check it

Paste the message below and ONSIM AI will give you a verdict in seconds - the scam signals, any link domains checked at the registry, and the sender number checked against our database.

ONSIM AI text check

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This check analyses the message content, link domains and sender against known scam patterns. It is provided for information only and is not advice: see our terms and privacy policy. Personal details are removed before anything is stored.

What the scam looks like

Typical formats currently circulating (these are scams, not real messages):

Scam example

Hi mum, my phone broke so this is my new number. Can you message me on here? xx

Scam example

I need to pay a bill today but my banking app is locked to my old phone. Can you transfer £830 and I will pay you back tomorrow? I will send the details xx

This scam works on love and urgency rather than links, which lets it slip past technical filters entirely. The scammer messages thousands of numbers; every reply that starts "which one is this?" gets "your eldest" or a similarly safe answer. Requested amounts are typically hundreds to low thousands, sent by bank transfer to a money mule account and gone within minutes.

The tells

  • ✗A new number plus an immediate reason the old one cannot be used or called.
  • ✗Refusal or excuses when you try to voice call or video call.
  • ✗A money request with urgency and a promise to repay tomorrow.
  • ✗Bank details in someone else's name.

What the real Hi does

There is one reliable defence: contact your child on the number you already have, or insist on a voice call to the new one. A real child with a new phone can always speak to you. Some families agree a code word for exactly this situation.

If you get one

Do not click, reply or call any number in the message. Forward it for free to 7726 so your mobile network can block the campaign, then delete it. If a call or text claims to be your bank, hang up and dial 159 - the UK anti-fraud line that connects you to your real bank. If you have already entered card details, tell your bank immediately; if you have lost money, report it to Action Fraud. You can also check the sender's number to see what has been reported about it.

Hi Mum / Hi Dad scam text questions

What if it really is my child with a new number?

Then a phone call resolves it in ten seconds - call the old number first, then the new one and ask something only they would know. A genuine child will not object to you checking. The scam depends on keeping everything in text; breaking that pattern breaks the scam.

I transferred money to a "Hi Mum" scammer. Can I get it back?

Contact your bank immediately - speed matters, as recovery is only realistic before the money is moved on. UK banks operate reimbursement rules for authorised push payment fraud, so report it even if time has passed, and report to Action Fraud as well.

Other scam texts going around

Royal Mail Evri DPD DVLA HMRC PayPal Amazon O2 EE Three Vodafone Netflix Apple Banks Wrong number / friendly stranger