Ontario mother loses $5,700 to scammers impersonating her son

One woman says she got a text message from someone claiming to be her son. Pat Foran reports for Consumer Alert.

An Ontario woman said she got a text message out of the blue from someone claiming to be her son and ended up being scammed out of $5,710.

“I just felt so violated and I don’t know who this money has gone to,” said the woman from Trenton. CTV News is referring to her as Sue because she does not want to be identified.

At the time, Sue said her son was having car trouble and needed money for repairs. Sue said she got a text that read, “Hi Mom. I can’t call with this number, it’s for text and data only.”

Her “son” said he had switched providers and asked, “Could you make an e-transfer for me? I will pay you back in two days.”

“Being a mother you think you are doing something right, and not even thinking about it,” said Sue.

She told CTV News she thought the money may have been for car repairs, so she e-transferred $2,910 and then later another $2,800.

After sending $5,710 in total, she reached out to her family and found out it was not actually her son who had been texting her and that she had been scammed.

“I felt sick to my stomach. I felt violated, like I had been invaded, and I don’t know where that money went,” said Sue.

‘A huge red flag’

Claudio Popa is a cybersecurity expert who says that people have to be very careful when getting texts out of the blue from family members or friends who are asking for money.

“Smishing is simply text-based fraud impersonating someone that they think they know,” said Popa.

Popa said anytime you get a text message from someone claiming they need money in a hurry that should be a huge red flag.

“Anytime you receive an urgent message, you should take a step back and take a moment and think about it. Don’t do anything right away. There is nothing that is that urgent,” said Popa.

If the person claiming to be a family member says not to tell anyone or call or message other family members, you should reach out to confirm they are who they say they are.

“As soon as you have a suspicion that whoever you are receiving an email from is not the right person, contact them ‘out of band, as we say. So, pick up the phone and call them or if you need to, email them,” advised Popa.

As for Sue, she said she is heartbroken to lose $5,710 and said she wanted to share her story to warn others to be careful if they receive suspicious texts.

“I never thought I would find myself in this position today,” said Sue.

Experts also warn to be careful of texts you get that say you have a tax refund, or that claim to be from your bank or Canada Post. They’re all different forms of scams trying to get you to click on links and enter personal information.