Attempted WhatsApp scam in Dornbirn
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On Tuesday evening, an unknown perpetrator contacted a woman from Dornbirn. By acting prudently, they were able to avoid financial damage.
On January 3rd, 2023, around 7:30 p.m., a woman from Dornbirn received an SMS from an Austrian mobile number. The perpetrators pretended to be their daughter in the SMS and pretended to have lost the mobile phone. The woman should save the new mobile number and contact the alleged daughter under the new number via WhatsApp. After a brief exchange of messages on the new WhatsApp number, the alleged daughter asked the mother to settle a bill for her.
Daughter could not be reached
The woman from Dornbirn then asked the supposed daughter to call her, which didn’t happen. Since the woman’s real daughter could not be reached on her real phone number, the woman’s husband went to his daughter’s home.
The daughter stated that she did not have a new mobile number. She had only switched off her mobile phone and was unaware of a bill that had to be paid. The woman from Dornbirn then broke off contact with the perpetrators. Thanks to the prudent approach taken by the couple, there was no financial damage.
