A message from an unknown number says it's your son or daughter with a new phone. Soon they need money. Here's how to check before you send anything.
It starts warm and casual, so it doesn't feel like a scam at all.
Got a message like this? Check it in seconds.
Check it with ScamSensorAfter some friendly back-and-forth comes the request: a bill they can't pay because their banking app is locked on the “new phone.” Could you cover it just this once? The payment usually has to go somewhere unusual — a friend's account, a payment app, gift cards or crypto.
The FTC says family emergency scams lean on urgency, secrecy (“don't tell Dad”) and payment methods that are hard to trace. Some now use AI-cloned voices on calls too. (FTC)
Contact the bank, payment app or gift card company right away and tell them it was a scam. Speed matters — some transfers can be stopped if you act quickly.
Agree on a simple rule now: nobody in the family ever asks for money by text from a new number without a phone call. It takes the pressure out of these moments for everyone.
Share the text, email or voicemail to ScamSensor and get a plain-English verdict — safe, suspicious or scam — with the reasons it spotted. It's one more check before you tap anything, not a guarantee.
Get ScamSensor on the App StoreOften they don't — the same message is sent to thousands of numbers. Some use details from social media.
That's a strong sign it's a scam. Call your child on the number you already had.
At reportfraud.ftc.gov, and with your state attorney general.
Related: the wrong number text scam, the AI voice clone scam, the phone-call version of this scam, where the voice itself sounds like your family; the job offer text scam, another friendly text from a stranger that ends with a request for money; how to report a scam text, step by step; and the Medicare open enrollment scam, which often targets parents and grandparents.