The number of WhatsApp scams has surged by more than 2,000 per cent in a year, new research shows.Swindles via the messaging app are now the fastest growing form of impersonation fraud, according to analysis by Lloyds Bank.It found criminals are increasingly turning to WhatApp as their weapon of choice by impersonating family members or friends who are in difficulty.While only a handful of examples were recorded each month during 2020, the total number of reported scams soared by the end of 2021 with victims losing on average £1,950 each.Christine Hawthorn-Thwaite, 60 told how a fraudster pretended to be her daughter and asked for £970 after “losing her phone”.She said: “I received a text at quarter past 10 at night with the WhatsApp message reading, ‘Hi, mum. I’ve lost my phone, please can you save this as my new number?’”As she has a daughter, she thought nothing of the text and just replied saying she would save the new number.More from BillsHowever, the scammer, pretending to be her daughter, said they were having difficulty with their bank’s app on the new phone and had some urgent payments they needed help with.Concerned about her daughter, Ms Hawthorn-Thwaite, tried to call the…
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WhatsApp scams soar by 2,000% in a year: 'A fraudster tried to swindle me by claiming to be …
