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Help !?! Think I've been scam'd but don't know how.

Got a text on way home tonight. Read the message when parked up at home.
Text came from my wife's mobile number to say:

"I don't know. Only got 84p left. Got "sons name" phone. There's been a fire here upstairs in the kitchen. We're OK. "wife's name" X"

Needless to say I was shocked. As was my wife when she opened the door and I explained this to her. Nothing wrong at all at home, and I don't have an upstairs kitchen.

So it looks like I have been scammed and the scammer is using my wife's number to text me.
They also appear to have both my wife and sons first names.
I've had my O2 contract mobile number for years - no problem. My wife has just got an Asda PAYG SIM with credit on it.

So where/how can this have happened??

Cheers

MD

Comments

  • Guys_Dad
    Guys_Dad Posts: 11,025 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    edited 14 October 2010 at 6:23PM
    Anyone else in the house (Daughter maybe) grabbed Mum's phone by mistake and sending a little white lie to friend to explain why they are not going out tonight? Or Mum sent message to someone - same reason - and sent to wrong recipient.

    Check phone's messages sent.

    Check Contacts on phone.

    Ring Jeremy Kyle and arrange lie detector!
  • Wish it were that simple. No nobody borrowed the phone - in fact my wife is as worried as I am. I can tell when my kids lie - no honest. Its all in the body language.
    Wondering if the issue is at Asda direct. They are the only ones with access to all our names. Both my sons have PAYG phones with them. and I registered the phone for them.
    Asda mobile also have my mobile number.

    My wife's PAYG phone is about a week old. Could it be that someone at Asda has been d*cking around with us, or am reading too much into this.
  • shebrett
    shebrett Posts: 182 Forumite
    sounds like one of the old email generator type sites but for mobiles. you can send any message and make it look like it came from any place....i haven't seen one for years but am sure they're still around somewhere. Could be someone you know trying it out and d*cking around?
  • lozzaman
    lozzaman Posts: 292 Forumite
    True - it is possible to set the sender ID on the SMSC. This is how the sites like Fishtext work (although they do make you verify that it is your phone!)
    On some phones it is possible to see which SMSC the SMS was sent through.

    I would ignore it.
  • OK cheers.
    If it comes back in a similar form I'll start panicking then.
    I've blatted an email to Asda Direct anyway - to see if they can look into it.
    Time to check the bank details - just to be extra paranoid.
  • GEEGEE8
    GEEGEE8 Posts: 2,440 Forumite
    I have a friend that is a computer nerd.. he used to send me texts now and then through the internet, but he could make it look like it came from anyone!

    The only way you could tell it wasn't from that person was that you couldn't reply to the message, it wouldn't send.

    Try replying to the message and see if it goes through to your wifes phone? If it won't send then it's been generated online, either through someone playing tricks or something.

    Not sure why they would send that detail about the kitchen etc, very odd!

    Try asking friends if they have had any odd messages from you recently?
    9/70lbs to lose :)
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