Someone messages you on WhatsApp with your friend’s photo and name, claiming to be in an emergency and needing money urgently. By the time you realise it is a scammer, the money is already gone. Learn how this scam works and how to verify in seconds.
What Is This Scam?
Scammers clone profiles of people you know — using their profile photo and display name — to send urgent money requests via WhatsApp. They claim to be stuck in an emergency (hospital, accident, phone stolen) and need an immediate transfer. The urgency is designed to bypass your critical thinking and prevent you from pausing to verify.
How It Works
- 1Scammer gets your contact’s name and profile photo from a public source such as social media or a WhatsApp group.
- 2Creates a new WhatsApp number with the same display name and profile photo as your contact.
- 3Messages you claiming to be your friend or family member in an emergency needing immediate money.
- 4Asks you to transfer to a new number or UPI ID “because their phone is damaged” or “they are using a borrowed device”.
- 5Once money is transferred, they block you and the number becomes completely unreachable.
⚠ Red Flags to Watch For
- Different phone number than your saved contact for that person
- Urgent tone — “please don’t call, just transfer”
- Asking you to keep the transaction secret from others
- New or unknown UPI ID that you have never seen before
- Story keeps changing or becoming inconsistent when you ask questions
- Pushes back hard or gives excuses when you try to video call to verify
What to Do If You Are Targeted
Do not transfer any money until you call the original saved number of your friend or family member and verify verbally — this one step stops the scam cold. If you have already paid, call 1930 immediately and file a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in. Report the WhatsApp number to WhatsApp by pressing and holding the message, selecting “Report”, and choosing impersonation. Alert your actual friend so they can warn their other contacts before more people are targeted.
✅ Stay Safe Checklist
- Always call the original saved number to verify before sending any money
- Set your WhatsApp profile photo visibility to “My Contacts” only to reduce cloning risk
- Never transfer money based on text messages alone — always call to confirm
- Be suspicious of any message containing “don’t call, just transfer”
- Warn family members, especially elderly relatives, about this scam