An Adelaide grandfather has been tricked into sending $ 42,000 to a cruel scammer pretending to be his son.
Two weeks ago, Kent Town resident Nigel Gammon was contacted by WhatsApp, an encrypted messaging service he regularly uses to talk to his son Jock, who recently moved abroad.
The scammer claimed that Jock was texting Nigel from a new cell phone number in a message that looked and sounded legitimate.
An Adelaide grandfather has been tricked into sending $ 42,000 to a cruel scammer pretending to be his son. (9 News)
“Hi Dad. My other phone has crashed, but this is my temporary number …” the message read.
“I have a payment to pay today. You can send me a picture of the front and back of your credit card …”
But Nigel was falling into a scam that robs his parents, just like him.
The 77-year-old man was in shock and then felt angry after his son broke the news to him.
“Hi Dad. My other phone has crashed, but this is my temporary number …” the message read. (9News) “I have a payment to pay today. You can send me a photo of the front and back of your credit card …” (9News)
“Anyone who gets a message from their child would feel the same way if you can help them do that,” Nigel said.
“I am very upset about the whole incident, I think my son feels especially guilty.
“It was one o’clock in the morning and I didn’t want to call him, which I should have done.”
Police say they receive regular reports of the scam, calling it “fairly straightforward.”
The scammer uses emojis and establishes a degree of relationship with the victim. (9 News)
The scammer finds information about the victim on social media and then pulls on his ropes.
The scammer then uses emojis and establishes a degree of relationship with the victim.
“The worst part was that when they closed it they put a heart as a closure,” Nigel said.
So far, only $ 14,000 has been recovered.