Dad’s ‘gold’ response to annoying ‘Hi Mum’ Woolworths scam

Australians have thrust themselves behind a dad’s creative response to the ‘Hi Mum’ Woolworths scam.

Australians have thrust themselves behind a dad’s creative response to the ‘Hi Mum’ Woolworths scam.

Clever Australians have got behind a tactical response to scammers exposed recently for pretending to be stuck in Woolworths without money.

In an ambitious move to be transferred some quick cash, fraudsters have been posing as kids stranded in the supermarket with the incorrect bank card or not enough cash to cover their groceries.

“I’m at Woolworths and brought the wrong card with me. Can you please send me $314.32, I will pay you back when I get home,” a text received by a Sunshine Coast dad on Sunday read.

Having put some thought into the perfect response, he later shared to Facebook what he replied with.

“Just find the cashier named [blank]. He let me [blank] him the other day to take payment for the week’s groceries,” part of his response read.

An Aussie dad has been applauded for his response to a scammer. Picture: Facebook

“Last month I bent over the canned tuna and took it up the [blank] to pay for your dad’s birthday shopping. I’m sure he will do the same for you. Love Mum.”

The creative reaction was swiftly labelled “gold” by members of the community, many who reported receiving a similar message.

“Yep I got one this morning saying it was from mum – knew it wasn’t as no picture on contact details. And mum wouldn’t spend $800 at Woolies,” one person responded.

“I sent a message back, laughed and said ‘I don’t have any kids’,” someone else said.

“That’s gold,” a third added.

The scam has been well documented online, with countless Australians sharing screenshots revealing they too had been targeted.

In a particularly unnerving twist, scammers have been using SMS identification technology to have their messages show up from “mum” rather than a random phone number.

Each message also optimistically concludes with a BSB and account number.

The “Hi mum” scam begun circulating early last year and fleeced Australians out of millions of dollars, prompting the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to issue an alert.

“We have seen an explosion in the number of ‘Hi Mum’ scams in the past couple of months, and so we are warning Australians to be very wary of messages from unknown numbers claiming to be from their children, parents, relatives or friends,” ACCC deputy chair Delia Rickard said last year.

“Scammers will stop at nothing to get your personal details or money and this particular scam is designed to pull your heartstrings. It’s important to stop and think if you get a message, especially on WhatsApp, because chances are it’s not your family member or friend – it’s a scammer.”

Scammers have been pretending they’re kids stuck in Woolworths with no money.

Ms Rickard advised Australians who received a text claiming to be from their parent, child, relative or friend, to first contact them on the number already stored on their phone to confirm whether the number is still in use.

If they don’t pick up, it’s recommended that a second call is made to their partner, friend or someone else who may be in regular contact with them to see if their phone is working.

“If you still can’t contact your family member or friend, consider asking a personal question a scammer couldn’t know the answer to, so you know the person you are speaking to is who they say they are,” Ms Rickard said.

“Above all, never send money without being absolutely sure who you are sending it to.”

The ACCC encouraged Australians targeted by the scam to report it to Scamwatch.

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