Sam Rowlands, Member of the Welsh Parliament for North Wales, is backing a call to raise awareness of text message scams this Summer.
Sam Rowlands, Member of the Welsh Parliament for North Wales and Shadow Minister for Local Government, has added his voice to warn parents and young people to be wary this Summer.
He said:
These days more than ever we all have to be on the lookout for scammers and be especially aware of text message scams which can put our young people at risk.
I am supporting the Scam Awareness campaign and adding my voice to the Chartered Trading Standards Institute who are warning parents and young people to be especially wary and be on their guard during the Summer months.
Some of these latest text messages claim to be from the recipient’s son or daughter saying they have a new number because they have lost their phone and asking you to text them back.
I would urge anyone to double check with their families to make sure any messages are genuine so they do not get scammed.
One of the scams seen by CTSI say ‘Heya mom, I’ve upgraded my O2 contract so my old n.o is now out of use. Pop me a message on my new one at 07742844550 so I can save your contacts okay x.’
The messages, and numerous others like them, are merely the first stage in a phishing scam, designed to dupe recipients into engaging with the new number and ultimately parting with personal data that can be used for nefarious means including identity theft and money transfer fraud.
There are also examples of the scam working the other way around, with the sender posing as a parent telling their offspring that they have a new number – with the same intention of stealing money or personal details.
The use of SMS text messages – as opposed to, for example, an app like WhatsApp – lends the scam an extra level of credibility, since it is more likely that such apps would not yet be installed on a new or back-up phone.
As well as endangering the recipient, the scams also put young people at risk by creating the possibility that a parent might replace their actual number with the new fake one, and be unable to contact them if the necessity arises.
Katherine Hart, CTSI Lead Officer for Scams, said:
Having the freedom to go out and explore the world is a crucial part of being young, and parents are often understandably worried about whether their children are safe and can be contacted in case of an emergency. Scammers know this, and they exploit that concern by posing as family members, with the ultimate aim of harvesting personal information.
The good news is that there are some basic things you can do, like verifying the sender via their original number, or asking questions that only they would know the answer to, to give yourself some peace of mind and avoid being scammed.
Any parent – especially those with teenagers – knows the high-stakes drama that ensues from a lost or broken mobile phone. In such situations, it can be tempting to make spur-of-the-moment decisions only to regret it soon after. We advise anyone who receives a message like this out of the blue to take just a few moments to double-check that it is genuine. Doing so could save you from a lot of trouble later on.
John Herriman, Chief Executive of CTSI, said:
Scammers will seize any opportunity to exploit people’s personal circumstances. In these examples, they are playing on the need for parents to stay in touch with their children. They are playing on vulnerabilities and a result of their cynical efforts to steal money and data they are making it more difficult for families to contact one another in the event of an actual emergency.
As ever, we urge the public to be on their guard. If you receive one of these text messages, do not respond to it, but do report it so we can get a better picture of the scale of the problem and make it more difficult for scammers to operate.
Sam Rowlands yn tynnu sylw at bryderon am sgamwyr
Mae Sam Rowlands, Aelod o’r Senedd dros y Gogledd, yn cefnogi galwad i godi ymwybyddiaeth o sgamiau negeseuon testun yr haf hwn.
Mae Sam Rowlands, Aelod o’r Senedd dros y Gogledd a Gweinidog Llywodraeth Leol yr Wrthblaid, wedi ychwanegu ei lais i rybuddio rhieni a phobl ifanc i fod yn wyliadwrus yr haf hwn.
Meddai:
Y dyddiau hyn yn fwy nag erioed mae'n rhaid i ni i gyd gadw llygad ar agor am sgamwyr a bod yn arbennig o ymwybodol o sgamiau negeseuon testun a all roi ein pobl ifanc mewn perygl.
Rwy'n cefnogi ymgyrch Ymwybyddiaeth Sgamiau ac yn ychwanegu fy llais at y Sefydliad Safonau Masnach Siartredig sy'n rhybuddio rhieni a phobl ifanc i fod yn arbennig o wyliadwrus, yn enwedig yn ystod misoedd yr haf.
Mae rhai o'r negeseuon testun diweddaraf hyn yn honni eu bod gan fab neu ferch y derbynnydd yn dweud bod ganddyn nhw rif newydd oherwydd eu bod wedi colli eu ffôn ac yn gofyn i chi anfon tecst yn ôl atyn nhw.
Byddwn yn annog unrhyw un i gadarnhau gyda’u teuluoedd i sicrhau bod unrhyw negeseuon yn ddilys fel nad ydyn nhw'n cael eu sgamio.
Un o'r sgamiau a welwyd gan CTSI oedd y neges ganlynol: ‘Heya mom, I’ve upgraded my O2 contract so my old n.o is now out of use. Pop me a message on my new one at 07742844550 so I can save your contacts okay x.’
Y negeseuon hyn, a llawer o rai eraill tebyg iddynt, yw'r cam cyntaf mewn sgamiau gwe-rwydo, sydd â’r bwriad o dwyllo derbynwyr i ddefnyddio'r rhif newydd a rhannu data personol yn y pen draw y gellir ei ddefnyddio ar gyfer dibenion twyllodrus gan gynnwys dwyn hunaniaeth a thwyll trosglwyddo arian.
Mae enghreifftiau o'r sgâm yn gweithio’r ffordd arall hefyd, gyda'r anfonwr yn esgus bod yn rhiant ac yn dweud wrth eu plant bod ganddyn nhw rif newydd - gyda'r un bwriad o ddwyn arian neu fanylion personol.
Mae'r defnydd o negeseuon testun SMS - yn hytrach nag ap fel WhatsApp er enghraifft - yn rhoi lefel ychwanegol o hygrededd i'r sgâm, gan ei bod yn fwy tebygol na fyddai apiau o'r fath wedi cael eu gosod eto ar ffôn newydd neu ffôn wrth gefn.
Yn ogystal â pheryglu'r derbynnydd, mae'r sgamiau’n rhoi pobl ifanc mewn perygl hefyd trwy greu'r posibilrwydd y gallai rhiant gymryd newid eu rhif go iawn am yr un ffug newydd, a methu cysylltu â nhw os byddai angen.
Meddai Katherine Hart, Swyddog Arweiniol CTSI ar gyfer Sgamiau:
Mae cael y rhyddid i fynd allan ac archwilio'r byd yn rhan hollbwysig o fod yn ifanc, ac wrth reswm mae rhieni'n poeni aml a yw eu plant yn ddiogel a bod modd cysylltu â nhw mewn argyfwng. Mae sgamwyr yn gwybod hyn, ac yn manteisio ar y pryder hwnnw trwy esgus bod yn aelodau o'r teulu, gyda'r nod o gasglu gwybodaeth bersonol yn y pen draw.
Y newyddion da yw bod rhai pethau sylfaenol y gallwch chi eu gwneud, fel gwirio'r anfonwr trwy ei rif gwreiddiol, neu ofyn cwestiynau mai dim ond nhw fyddai'n gwybod yr ateb iddyn nhw, i roi tawelwch meddwl i chi'ch hun ac osgoi cael eich twyllo.
Mae unrhyw riant – yn enwedig y rhai sydd â phlant yn eu harddegau – yn gwybod cymaint o ddrama yw colli neu dorri ffôn symudol. Mewn sefyllfaoedd o'r fath, gall fod yn demtasiwn gwneud penderfyniadau heb feddwl a difaru’n fuan wedyn. Rydyn ni’n cynghori unrhyw un sy'n derbyn neges annisgwyl fel hon i dreulio ychydig eiliadau i wneud yn siŵr ei bod hi’n ddilys. Gallai gwneud hynny eich achub rhag llawer o drafferth yn nes ymlaen.
Meddai John Herriman, Prif Weithredwr CTSI:
Bydd sgamwyr yn bachu ar unrhyw gyfle i fanteisio ar amgylchiadau personol pobl. Yn yr enghreifftiau hyn, maen nhw’n manteisio ar yr angen i rieni gadw mewn cysylltiad â'u plant. Maen nhw’n manteisio ar wendidau ac o ganlyniad i'w hymdrechion sinigaidd i ddwyn arian a data maen nhw’n ei gwneud hi'n anoddach i deuluoedd gysylltu â'i gilydd pe bai argyfwng gwirioneddol.
Fel erioed, rydyn ni’n annog y cyhoedd i fod ar eu gwyliadwriaeth. Os ydych chi'n derbyn un o'r negeseuon testun hyn, peidiwch ag ymateb iddi, ond rhowch wybod amdani fel y gallwn gael gwell darlun o hyd a lled y broblem a'i gwneud hi'n anoddach i sgamwyr weithredu.
