"Hi Mum, this is my new number"

A text arrives from an unknown number: *"Hi Mum, my old phone broke — this is my new number. Write to me on WhatsApp."* Once you reply, "your child" says they can't get into their online banking on the new phone and asks you to urgently pay a bill — often around a thousand euros — to an account they send you.

It isn't your child. It's the modern Enkeltrick: a scammer sends this message to thousands of people, hoping a few will reply and pay. The story always escalates to a transfer, and the reason is always "my banking won't work on the new phone."

What to do: don't transfer anything. Call your real child on their old, known number, or speak to them in person, before doing anything at all.