"Krone" self-test

Why fake children demand photos as well as money

Fraudsters are still trying their luck with this scam.

(Bild: Wolfgang Spitzbart)

The son-daughter trick has already robbed many gullible parents of their money. We wanted to know exactly how the scam works and carried out a self-test. Somewhat surprisingly, the scammers also asked for photos.

"Hi Dad, I have a new number. Can you save it?" Text messages like this have suddenly appeared on many people's cell phones in recent weeks and months.

"Krone" carried out the test and wrote to the crooks at
. The supposed daughter or son claims to have lost their cell phone, broken it or bought a new one. The recipient is asked to contact the new number via WhatsApp.

Unfortunately, not everyone realizes that this is a well-known scam. But what happens if you actually comply with the request? The "Krone" wanted to find out and dared to test it out for itself

Victims are not only lured with fake celebrity profiles.

(Bild: Gassler Markus)

After the "child" briefly inquired about the father's well-being, we would have thought that a request for a money transfer would have followed immediately. But curiously, the fraudster asked for photos of himself - of the real daughter or son, of course. "The criminal probably wants to use these pictures for other scams - to create a fake profile on Facebook or Instagram, for example," prevention experts are convinced.

Don't transfer any money and always remain skeptical
Unfortunately, we didn't have any pictures to hand. And so, of course, a demand for money arrived, because the offspring urgently had a bill to pay. Of course, we were promised that the money would be returned in a few days. But we broke off the conservation and blocked the number.

Tip: Be skeptical of such text messages and try to reach your child via the familiar number.