A BLOKE has revealed a simple but effective way to stump WhatsApp scammers after he was almost fleeced out of a grand.
Michael Griffiths received a dodgy message claiming to be from his stepdaughter Sophie asking for money.
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The fraudster tried a common ruse, making out they are a loved one unable to access their usual phone while urgently pleading for £989 to be sent to them.
But the wise dad was having none of it.
“I want to ask a favour, I’m trying to get my banking app on this old phone but it doesn’t work and stressing a bit because I have a bill to pay,” the fake Sophie begged.
He became suspicious after asking a series of questions.
First, the conman made weird excuses for not wanting to call Sophie’s mum the old fashioned way, saying the phone she’s using is “really old” and they “can’t ring with it”.
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As things progress, Michael deals a blow by saying he can actually only send £400 at a time due to a banking limit.
He also says they don’t have £989 in their account anyway.
So the scammer tries to turn up the pressure.
“How much can you transfer at the moment?” the imposter asks.
“It has to be paid within 30 minutes. We can’t be late can you transfer it.”
With Michael’s suspicions now high, he asks a genius question that leaves the crook out of options.
“What’s your middle name Soph?” he says.
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When the swindler asks why, he adds: “So I know it’s you Soph.”
With no way out, the messages suddenly stop.
His stepson, Jordon Parker, from Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, decided to reveal the conversation on social media in a warning to others.
He told the Liverpool Echo his stepdad thought it was his sister as it seemed “believable” at first.
“It all added up because that’s exactly what would happen.”
Must-know iPhone trick lets you block ALL scam texts before you ever read them
In other news, a new space station for Tom Cruise to shoot movies on has caused jaws to drop for all the wrong reasons.
Scientists have pinpointed when they believe the Sun will explode and wipe out everything on Earth in the process.
And Apple is working on a fix for a recently discovered bug that is capable of exposing the personal data of iPhone users.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
