Help and guidance
WhatsApp new number scam: what can you do?
A message appears to be from your child, parent or friend: “My phone broke, this is my new number.” Soon afterwards, they ask you to transfer money urgently. This may be a help-request scam. A familiar name or photo does not prove who sent the message.
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.
Which signs deserve extra attention?
An unfamiliar number, urgency, a bill you are asked to pay or a request to keep it secret: pause. Even a message from a familiar account can be suspicious if that account was taken over.
One sign does not prove a scam. Equally, a normal-sounding message does not make a money request trustworthy. Check the question outside the conversation.
What should you ask your contact?
Find the old number in your own contacts. Call yourself and ask: “Did you ask me to pay this bill?” Do not use the number or call button in the suspicious message. If you cannot reach them, wait before paying.
Compare the exact request: is it the same amount, recipient and purpose? Do not share passwords or confirmation codes, even to supposedly help.
Already paid or shared information?
Contact your bank immediately using its official number. Explain what happened; the bank can assess the possible next steps. A refund is not guaranteed.
Keep the conversation, phone number and payment details as evidence. In the Netherlands, report the scam to the Fraudehelpdesk and police. Elsewhere, contact your local police or fraud reporting service. Call 112 in immediate danger in the EU.
Where does Torivela fit?
Did you personally link with this person before the suspicious message arrived? You can ask that linked account about this specific request through Torivela, outside WhatsApp. An invitation alone is not a trusted link.
A Yes only means this specific request was confirmed via a previously linked account and its security key. No answer, a No or continuing doubt? Do not transfer money. Calling back yourself remains necessary.
Torivela offers an extra check of one specific request outside the original chat through a trusted contact personally linked beforehand. It is not an automatic phishing or URL scanner and does not guarantee identity, sender, IBAN or payment. Security has not yet been independently reviewed.