The 'Hi Mom' Text Scam: Fake Family, New Number

Short answer: a text from an unknown number claiming to be your son or daughter — "Hi Mom, I lost my phone, this is my new number" — that soon asks for money is a scam. The opener exists to get you to save a new number as your child, so the later request to pay a bill feels like it's really coming from them.

This is a texted impersonation, not a phone call. It doesn't use a cloned voice (that's the AI voice scam) and it isn't the classic "grandchild in jail" phone call (the grandparent scam). It's a quiet message that asks you to trust a new number — and it works.

Quick version: Don't send money or save the number based on the text alone. Call your child on their known number. If the new number is real, they'll answer the old one or confirm it live.

In this guide

• How the scam works
• What the texts look like
• The red flags
• How to confirm it's really your child
• What to do instead
• If you already sent money
• Protecting your family
• Not sure if it's really them?
• FAQ

How the scam works

1. The new-number opener. A text from a number you don't recognize says your child lost or broke their phone and this is their temporary new number.
2. Building the assumption. A little chat — "all good, just annoying" — gets you to accept the number as really theirs and maybe save it.
3. The ask. Soon there's a problem: a bill that has to be paid today, a payment that won't go through on the new phone, an urgent transfer they can't make themselves.
4. The payment. You're asked to send money by bank transfer, Zelle, or to pay a "bill" to an account they give you. The money goes to the scammer.

It's effective because the request lands inside an established (but fake) thread, so by the time money comes up, you already believe you're talking to your kid.

What the texts look like

The opener is casual and a touch helpless:

Hi Mum, I dropped my phone down the toilet and it's not working.
I'm texting from a mate's phone for now — this is my new number,
save it. x

Then, a little later:

Actually could you do me a favour? I can't log into my banking
on this phone and I've got a bill due today. Could you pay it
for me and I'll transfer you back tomorrow? I'll send the details x

Notice the pattern: lost phone, can't access their own banking, a time-pressured bill, and a promise to pay you back. That sequence is the scam.

The red flags

• A new/unknown number claiming to be your child or close family.
• "I lost/broke my phone" as the reason for the new number.
• They can't access their own banking on the "new phone."
• An urgent bill or transfer you're asked to pay to an account they provide.
• A reason they can't just call ("the phone won't make calls," "I'm somewhere I can't talk").
• A promise to pay you back soon to make it feel low-risk.

How to confirm it's really your child

This is the whole game. One step settles it:

1. Call them on their old, known number. If they answer, the text was a scam.
2. If they don't answer, contact them another way you already trust — a known email, a family group chat, or another relative who can reach them.
3. Ask something only they'd know, in a real-time call or video — not over the texting thread, since a scammer is reading those replies.
4. Don't rely on the new number to verify itself. "It's really me, I promise" from the suspicious number proves nothing.

A genuine new number will survive a quick call to the old one or a question only your real child could answer.

What to do instead

1. Don't send money or pay any "bill" based on the text.
2. Don't save the number as your child until you've confirmed it live.
3. Verify on a known channel — call the old number, ask a control question on a real call.
4. Report and block. In the US, forward the text to 7726 (SPAM) and report at reportfraud.ftc.gov, then block the number.

If you already sent money

1. Contact your bank immediately. Bank transfers and Zelle are hard to reverse, but speed gives the only real chance — call and report it as fraud now.
2. Report it to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov (or your country's equivalent) and keep the messages.
3. Tell your real child so they can warn others and watch for misuse of their identity.
4. Don't blame yourself. The scam is engineered to land inside a trusted relationship; reporting fast is what matters.

Protecting your family

Because this scam impersonates the people you trust most, the best defense is a family habit set up in advance:

• Agree on a verification step — always call the known number before sending money, no matter what a text says.
• Pick a family "safe word" for genuine emergencies, so a real request can be confirmed and a fake one exposed.
• Talk about it with parents and grandparents, who are frequent targets. Our guide to protecting elderly parents and the Family plan can help set up a simple second-opinion routine.

Not sure if it's really them?

A text from your "child's new number" pulls on real love and worry, which is exactly why it's so effective. Before you send anything, take the one safe step — call their old number — and if you still want a gut-check, forward the texts to FraudRoom at check@fraudroom.com for a quick, honest read.

FAQ

My child really did get a new number. How do I tell that apart from the scam?

Confirm it live: call their old number, or ask something only they'd know on a real call or video — not over the texting thread. A real new number holds up to a quick verification; a scammer's doesn't.

Why does the "new number" text always mention a lost or broken phone?

It explains both the unknown number and why they "can't" call or access their own banking — neatly removing the two things that would expose the scam. Treat the lost-phone story plus a money request as a red flag.

They asked me to pay a bill, not send cash. Is that safer?

No. Paying a "bill" to an account they give you sends money straight to the scammer. The framing is just designed to feel more normal than asking for cash.

I sent money to the scammer. Can I get it back?

Maybe, if you act fast. Call your bank immediately to report fraud and ask about recall; bank transfers and Zelle are hard to reverse, so the first hour matters most. Then report it and tell your real child.

Key takeaways

• "Hi Mom, I lost my phone, this is my new number" followed by a money ask is a scam.
• It's a texted impersonation — verify on a known channel, never the new number itself.
• Lost-phone + can't-access-banking + urgent bill is the giveaway pattern.
• Set a family safe word and a "always call the old number first" rule in advance.

Related reading

• The grandparent scam: the panicked phone call
• AI voice clone grandparent scams: when the voice is fake
• Protecting elderly parents from scams