A family impersonation scam that begins with a text from an unknown number posing as a stranded child has escalated to include AI-generated voice notes sent through WhatsApp, Santander UK’s head of fraud risk management said.
Chris Ainsley said the “Hi Mom” or “Hi Mum” scam, in which fraudsters text parents from an unknown number claiming to have lost their phone and urgently needing money, is evolving at “breakneck speed.” “We’re hearing of instances where AI voice impersonation technology is being used to create WhatsApp and SMS voice notes, making the scam seem ever more realistic,” he said.
Action Fraud recorded £226,744 in UK losses from Hi Mum and Hi Dad smishing, or SMS phishing, texts between 2023 and 2025. Previously, Lloyds Banking Group highlighted the rapid rise of the scam by reporting a 2,000% year-on-year surge in cases, with an average victim loss of £1,950.
Researchers at University College London and Stop Scams UK, publishing at the 2025 USENIX Security Symposium, found the scam more effective than traditional phishing because it relies on interactive conversation rather than a single malicious link.
The attack typically starts with an unknown number claiming a broken phone, then directs the recipient to reply to a second unfamiliar number, a two-step handoff designed to deepen engagement before a money request arrives.
In the United States, the FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report flagged AI-driven fraud for the first time in a dedicated section. Older Americans lost $352 million to AI-related scams that year, which prominently featured deceptive voice-cloning schemes.
Consumer advice service Which? recommends that families establish a shared password to verify an unknown contact’s identity. Ainsley said anyone receiving an unexpected money request on a messaging platform should call the sender’s known number directly before transferring funds.
