Got a text from your child saying they broke their phone and this is their new number?
It is a scam. Ring the family member on their old number before you do anything else.
A text from a number you do not recognise says it is your son, daughter or grandchild. Their phone is broken, this is the new number, save it. A little later comes the real message: they are locked out of their banking, a bill is due today, and could you send an e-transfer. Durham Regional Police call it the Broken Phone Scam and describe it as new and prevalent.
How it works
The first message is warm and asks for nothing, which is the point. You reply, you save the number, and now the scammer has a conversation going under your child’s name. The second message brings the emergency. The phone is broken so they cannot get into their banking app, a payment is due today, and they need you to send money by e-transfer to an account they give you, or buy gift cards and send the codes, or pay in cryptocurrency. There is always a reason they cannot talk on the phone: the new phone has no voice yet, they are in a meeting, the microphone is broken.
Durham Regional Police describe the scam as a text claiming to be a family member, using an alternate number, who then asks for help paying a bill by e-transfer. The names and the story change. The pattern does not: a new number, a reason not to call, and money needed today.
What should I do if my child texts from a new number?
Call them on the number you already have before you reply to the new one. If they really have a new phone, they will tell you so in their own voice. If the old number answers normally, or they have no idea what you are talking about, delete the text and block the new number.
What to do
- Call the family member on their old number, or call another relative who can reach them. Do that before replying.
- Never send an e-transfer, gift card codes or cryptocurrency to a number that cannot take a phone call.
- If you already sent money, call your bank right away and ask whether the e-transfer can be stopped, then report to Durham Regional Police at 905-579-1520.
- If you tapped the link, entered details or paid: here is exactly what to do next, step by step.
- Report the text by forwarding it to 7726 (SPAM). How to do that on iPhone and Android.
- Got a different message? Run it through our one-minute checker.
Sources
If this has already happened to you, our scam recovery visit can lock down your accounts and devices. And if you are just not sure whether something is a scam, asking us is always free.