For millions of people, WhatsApp is a vital connection to friends and family around the world. But cybersecurity experts have issued a fresh warning over an insidious scam which has already duped users out of almost half a million pounds since the start of 2025. In the so-called'Hi Mum' scam, criminals impersonate a family member to trick their victims into sending them money. Now, fraudsters are even using AI voice impersonation technology to dupe their victims. The scam begins by sending a WhatsApp message saying'Hi Mum' or'Hi Dad' as the sender claims they have lost their phone and have been locked out of their bank account.

Fraudsters are using the latest AI technology to churn out masses of high-quality fake IDs in just minutes, a report has warned. Yoti, which provides facial estimation systems for British supermarkets and pubs to check users are over-18, said the forgeries were so'sophisticated' they were hard to spot. The British firm highlighted an underground website called Onlyfake that used the technology behind chatbots to create'highly convincing' AI-generated IDs for just 12. With a reported 20,000 being produced every day, an investigation found they were good enough to bypass an online trading platform's strict verification system. Security experts said supermarkets, pubs, and airports would also need to be on ' red alert' - warning many were'woefully unprepared to deal with this threat'.

Business Email Compromise (BEC) gangs are making their payment fraud scams even more effective by using translation tools and machine learning to …