Please, Mum! WhatsApp fraudsters pose as loved ones to steal money

Leonard immediately moved to help her US-based daughter as she has done in the past.

It was then that she phoned the bank.

Leonard is a victim of the latest form of fraud to balloon online, in which people are contacted by fraudsters claiming to be members of their family, who say they have lost their mobile and also access to online banking to pay bills.

Lloyds Bank says the number of cases reported by customers soared by the end of last year, with victims losing an average of £1,950 each.

Moore says that it is easy for criminals to obtain a database of names, phone numbers and dates of birth through the dark web and social media channels.

She says that her banking app has a warning when transferring money to be aware of scams, but she continued with the payment as the request for cash was similar to what her daughter had asked for in the past.

The company advises people who receive a suspicious message to ask for a voice note to verify that someone really is who they say they are.