New scam? Callers are now impersonating relatives to ask for money, here is how to stay safe

Have you recently received a call from someone introducing themselves as a close friend or relative, addressing you by name, only to soon ask for money, claiming a failed transaction by another family member? Beware! This is a new scam that scammers are using to trick people.

In Short

• Scammers are now calling people for money 
• They are calling people on phone number and introducing themselves as relative 
• Soon as they greet, they ask money citing urgent matters 

"Hello Divya beta, how are you? I am Suresh, your father's friend. How is work going? Good, beta. Your father gave me your number. He needed to transfer some money but was facing issues. He asked me to collect it from you. Can you send it now? It’s Rs 3000."

This was a call I received a few days ago. The caller, very politely, greeted me and even knew my name, so for a moment, I thought he might genuinely be my father’s friend. But he wasn’t. He was a scammer, not a friend. And unfortunately, it's not just me. Many people have been getting such calls lately, sometimes even multiple times in a month. Scammers often pretend to be close family friends and ask for money, citing an emergency or some other reason.

While scams like fake job offers or stock market schemes are somewhat easier to recognise as fraudulent, these new types of scams — where callers pose as close friends or family — are more serious and dangerous. The techniques scammers use in these calls are similar to scam cases reported worldwide, like the "Hey Mom" scam, where scammers impersonate children or parents in distress and urge the recipient to send money immediately. So much so that recently Hollywood even made a film based around this entire premise. Called Thelma, in the movie we see an old woman getting scammed after the caller tells her that her nephew met with an accident and urgently needed money for a medical procedure in a hospital.

And now we see that these scams are getting quite common in India, too. A few months ago, we at India Today Tech shared another similar incident where one of my colleagues received a call from a scammer posing as an LIC agent, attempting to coax her into sending Rs 27,000 via PhonePe. You can read more about that case here: "Fake LIC agent, screenshot and message from my dad: Call with con man shows how Indians are getting scammed."

Nevertheless, In my case, I quickly figured out it was a scam because the caller only knew my name and when I asked for the reason of money and other details, he started blabbering and started cajoling me to send money. However, not everyone may realise this — especially if someone gets such calls while they are in the middle of some meeting or busy or are not very tech-savvy and unaware of the growing web of online scams.

How to avoid scams

Well, it is very important to stay vigilant, as scammers not only reach out through social media but also seem to have access to millions of phone numbers and even names. This is possibly on the basis of all these data leaks that we keep seeing in India, because they apparently give scammers details of not just your number and name but also possibly family and personal details. Here are some tips to protect yourself from such scams:

— Always verify the caller. If someone contacts you for money claiming to be a relative or friend, cross-check. For example, I checked with my father to confirm whether he actually had a friend with such a request. Scammers often create a sense of urgency to pressure you into quick decisions.

— Be cautious with personal information: Never share personal or financial details with someone you don't know or trust, even if they appear familiar. If you receive an unexpected money request, especially from someone you haven't heard from in a while, be cautious.

— Trust your instincts. If something feels off or suspicious about a call or message, don’t hesitate to end the conversation.

— With the rise in online scams, it is more important than ever to stay informed about the latest fraud tactics. Talk to your family and friends to raise awareness and help everyone stay safe.