"Hey Mum, I dropped my phone down the toilet." It wasn't him.

The Hi Mum scam starts with one friendly text from a new number: "Hi Mum, I dropped my phone down the toilet." Here's how the Hi Mum scam really works, what researchers found when they texted the scammers back, why it fools smart parents, and the one family habit that stops it. 0:00 The text from a new number 0:28 What you'll learn 1:01 Sarah's story 2:28 The researchers who texted back 3:19 The real court case behind it 4:50 Why it works on smart parents 6:17 It's still spreading 7:28 The red flags 8:21 The one family habit 9:20 What to do if you already paid 10:06 Send this to them Already paid? Call your bank straight away on the number on the back of your card, then report it. Scam texts (UK and US): forward to 7726 UK: https://www.reportfraud.police.uk (0300 123 2040) US: https://reportfraud.ftc.gov WhatsApp: press and hold the message, then tap Report. Sources UCL and Stop Scams UK study, "Hey mum, I dropped my phone down the toilet" (USENIX Security 2025): https://www.usenix.org/conference/use... Zurich court case, two men convicted over WhatsApp "new number" fraud (blue News, July 2024): https://www.bluewin.ch/en/news/switze... Santander UK, "Hi Dad" scam warning (June 2026): https://www.santander.co.uk/about-san... ACCC, "Hi Mum" scams in Australia (Aug 2022): https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release... North Wales Police reverse "Hi Mum" warning (Apr 2026): https://www.deeside.com/new-twist-on-... FTC, family emergency scams: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/sca... FTC, $3.5 billion lost to imposter scams in 2025: https://ftc.gov/news-events/news/pres... "Sarah" and "Josh" are a composite based on cases described by police, banks and the FTC. This video is for awareness and protection only. #himumscam #scamawareness #whatsappscam