Deception (social engineering): Private individual, Germany 2024
The supposed son got in touch via WhatsApp with a new number: his phone had water damage and he could not make payments.
- Incident · 10.2024 · Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Ueckermünde), Germany
- Evidence: confirmed by an authority
- Deception (social engineering)
- Fraud
As of
What happened
He asked for more than 30'000 euros; the father paid around half by instant transfer to several domestic and foreign accounts. The fraud only came to light in a conversation with the real son.
- Affected
- Private individual (anonymous)
- Industry
- Private individual
- Loss
- more than EUR 15'000
- Business interruption
- unknown
- Ransom demanded / paid
- unknown / unknown
- Data affected
- unknown
- Bankruptcy
- no
- Entry point
- WhatsApp message from the supposed son with a new number («Hi Dad»)
What would cyber insurance have paid?
That depends on the terms. Whether those affected were insured: unknown.
We have not assigned any cyber insurance module to this case.
Overview based on public policy terms, as of 06.11.2026. Only your policy and its general terms and conditions (GTC) are binding. No confirmation of cover.
What we can learn
Always check a relative’s new number via the old number or a call before any money is paid.
Sources
- «Hallo Papa»: Betrüger erbeuten mehr als 15.000 Euro in Ueckermünde (opens in a new window) Nordkurier · 2024-10-21
«Per SMS oder Messenger-Nachricht kann sich jeder als jemand anderes ausgeben.»