---
title: "A “new number” text claiming to be someone you know — Check Twice"
description: "A text from a new phone number saying it’s your child? Don’t reply or pay. How to check it’s really them and what to do if you’ve sent money."
url: https://www.check-twice.com/scams/new-number-scam
---

# A “new number” text claiming to be someone you know

## How the scam works

A text arrives from a phone number you haven’t saved. The sender claims to be your son, daughter or someone else you know. They say they can’t use their old phone and ask you to contact them on this new phone number from now on and delete the old one.

> Today 09:41. Hi Mum, I dropped my phone down the toilet and it’s dead. This is my new number for now x
>
> Can you save it and delete the old one
>
> You: Oh no! Ok, will do x

The excuse can vary, usually a phone that’s broken, lost or stolen. It can also arrive on WhatsApp. If you save the new phone number to your contacts under their name, as most people would, every message from it now looks like it’s from them.

A few hours later they ask for money. The reason can be anything, a bill due today, rent or a car repair, but it always has to be paid now. Their banking app is on the old phone they can’t use, so they need you to send it to another account.

> Today 14:20. Can you do me a favour? I’ve got a bill due today and my banking app is locked on this phone
>
> You: Of course, how much is it?
>
> £330. Can you send it to my friend’s account and I’ll pay you back tomorrow x
>
> I’ll send you the details now

If you pay, another request follows, and it carries on for as long as you keep replying. Most people only find out when they speak to the real person, and by then the money has gone.

## Why they do it

Because it’s cheap and it works. A text costs nothing, so a scammer sends thousands and needs only a few replies to make money. It’s a numbers game, no pun intended. It works because most people would help their child or a friend without a second thought, and that is what they are exploiting.

## What to do if you’ve replied, paid or sent a code

If you only added the phone number to your contacts, you haven’t lost anything. Forward the text to 7726 first. That’s free, and your network uses it to block the sender for everyone else. Then remove the phone number from the contact you added it to, block the phone number and delete the conversation, reporting it as junk if your phone offers to.

If you sent money, ring your bank straight away and tell them it was a scam. The sooner you ring, the better the chance of getting it back.

- **In the UK**, dial 159 to reach your bank’s fraud team. Banks have to refund most bank transfer scams, up to £85,000, as long as you report it within 13 months. Cash, gift cards and international transfers aren’t covered. Then report it to Report Fraud at [reportfraud.police.uk](https://www.reportfraud.police.uk) or on 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, ring Police Scotland on 101.
- **In the US**, report it in the payment app too if you used one, then to the Federal Trade Commission at [ReportFraud.ftc.gov](https://reportfraud.ftc.gov). A payment you sent yourself isn’t always refunded.

If you sent a sign-in code, sign in to that account as soon as you can and reset the password. If it shows where else you’re signed in, sign out everywhere. Then turn on two-step verification if it offers it, ideally with a hardware key and never with your phone number.

## How to stop it happening

The usual advice is to contact them on the phone number you already have saved for them. That is bad advice, because if their phone really has been lost or stolen you can’t reach them, and your family member or friend is left without the help they need. What you need is a way to biometrically check the person contacting you.

[Check Twice](https://www.check-twice.com/) solves this. If someone texts you from a new phone number, you can make a link for them and text it to that phone number. They take a quick photo and it’s matched against the face photo they signed up with, which was checked against their photo ID. You see the result in your own app, so you know it’s them before you send any money.

Verification works between people who have created a Check Twice account. So make sure you [download it](https://www.check-twice.com/download), create your account and tell your loved ones and friends to set up one too. It works both ways, so once you’re on it they can check it’s really you.

Check Twice is free and easy to set up. All you need is a quick photo and your passport, driving licence or state ID card. Your contacts never leave your phone and only people you’ve saved can see your profile, unless you opt in to showing it to anyone with your phone number.

Next: [A call that sounds like someone you know](https://www.check-twice.com/scams/ai-voice-cloning-scam)