Australians Become Victims Of 'Hi Mum' Fraud, Rp112 Billion

JAKARTA - Fraud under the guise of a family is getting worse in Australia. Reportedly, the citizen has lost 7.2 million US dollars or equivalent to Rp112 billion this year.

Through text messages, the con artist or bad actor disguised himself as the victim's family and convinced people to send them some money. This scam, dubbed "Hi Mum" or imitating family identity.

Initially, the bad actor would contact the victim, often through the WhatsApp instant messaging application and then pretend to be a family member, a friend who lost or claimed their cellphone was damaged by one of the families. The actor often contacts the victim with a different number.

According to an Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) report, the number of victims of fraud has increased tenfold in the last three months alone. This year alone, Rp112 billion has been stolen from 11,100 victims, and has soared since last August.

"We urge Australians to be careful of phone calls from family members or friends claiming they need help following a significant increase in Hi Mum fraud," ACCC said in August.

Launching The Independent, Tuesday, December 13, most of the family imitation scams were reported by women over the age of 55. The ACCC confirmed Australians to verify their family contacts carefully when contacted by the bad actor.

"If you are contacted by someone claiming to be your son, daughter, relative, or friend, start by contacting them in a number that is already stored on your phone," explained ACCC Deputy Chair, Delia Rickard.