The “Hi Mum” or “Hi Dad” scam starts with a WhatsApp message or text from an unknown number claiming to be your son or daughter on a new phone. After some friendly chat, they ask for help paying an urgent bill, usually to an account in someone else’s name.
How to spot it
- A new number with a story about a lost, broken or stolen phone.
- They cannot talk on the phone right now and prefer to message.
- A request to pay someone else’s account “just this once”.
- Pressure and urgency, sometimes with a voice note that sounds right.
How Rooky stops it
Rooky gives you a second, independent path to the real person. Instead of trusting the new number, you open Rooky and send that person a verification request. It goes to the phone they registered with Rooky, not to the number, account or meeting in front of you.
They confirm with Face ID, a fingerprint or their device passcode, and you see a clear answer: Verified, Denied or Expired. Requests expire within minutes, so a confirmation belongs to the moment you asked and cannot be replayed later.
Rooky does not listen to calls or read your messages. It works alongside whatever channel the request arrived on.
Set it up as a family
Add each other in Rooky while everyone is together. Then the rule is simple: if a request for money arrives from anywhere, a Rooky check comes first. A real child on a genuinely new phone can still sign back in and confirm.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Hi Mum scam?
A message from an unknown number pretending to be your child on a new phone, which leads to an urgent request for money.
How do I check the message is really from my child?
Do not reply to the new number with personal details. Send a Rooky verification request to your child’s registered phone, or call the number you already had for them.
Verify the person, not the channel
Get Rooky, add the people you trust, and check before you act.
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