Help and guidance
Recognisable scam examples
These examples are fictional exercises, not customer stories or proven incidents. A message may also be genuine: check the exact question outside the conversation.
Do this first
- Call the person yourself on the old, known number, not the number in the message.
- Do not transfer money when in doubt and do not share codes.
- Already sent money? Contact your bank immediately using its official number.
A child with a new number
“Hi dad, my phone broke. Please save this number.”
A new photo or familiar name is not proof. The money request may come later.
Call the old number in your own contacts yourself. Do not establish a new link through this message.
A bill that must be paid today
“Can you pay this bill right now? I will pay you back tomorrow.”
Urgency makes calm checking harder. A familiar payment brand does not make the request trustworthy.
Call the old known number and ask about the amount, recipient and purpose. Cannot reach them? Wait before paying.
Someone posing as your child asks for secrecy
“Do not tell mum. I am in trouble and need money quickly.”
Pressure, secrecy and emotion are reasons to pause, not to pay immediately.
Contact your child yourself through a previously known channel. Do not share codes or grant screen access.