It's my new number: WhatsApp scam or real?

This wording is often used to impersonate a loved one in order to get a bank transfer or get around your usual reflexes.

Information updated : 2026-09-10

Critical risk - Point de vigilance : The fraudster wants you to be isolated on a new channel.

Editorial Trust

StopArnaques is an independent Belgian service. It is not a public authority and does not speak on behalf of the organisations cited.

The phrase is meant to create an immediate family link while neutralising the known channel by announcing a new number. The request for money often comes after a few exchanges designed to make this change seem plausible.
The risk becomes real when the person refuses a call, does not answer a personal question, or insists on a transfer to an unknown beneficiary.

The message exploits a known relationship or a private group to get a reply before any independent check.
The new number, urgency, or promise of a gain is used to quickly move the conversation towards a payment or validation.

A loved one can be checked on their old number or by asking a question known to both people.
An unusual request for money should be confirmed outside the conversation that makes it.

Call the loved one’s old number and contact another family member.
Ask for a non-public piece of information and do not hint at the answer in the question.

The wording “Hi Mum, I’ve got a new number” is a lead, not enough proof on its own. The number, the domain, the beneficiary and the action requested must be checked together.
This sheet describes a defensive method. It does not attribute a message to a person or organisation without verified evidence.

The references selected for “Hi Mum, I’ve got a new number” cover the method, the claimed service and the protection steps. They should be read for the procedure they document, not as automatic proof that every similar message belongs to a confirmed campaign.
For the alert “Hi Mum, I’ve got a new number”, the first three references are: Safeonweb - Be vigilant about suspicious calls and SMS; FPS Economy - Phone scams; FPS Economy - How to recognise a scam or a scammer?. Each link is checked separately and any inaccessible source must be removed or replaced.

The risk is stronger if several signs appear together: new number imposed; quick request for help or money; refusal to go back to the number already known. An irreversible action, an external domain or an unknown beneficiary matter more than a simple language mistake.
For “Hi Mum, I’ve got a new number”, the risk is weaker if the same request, with the same reference and the same action, is found in the open official space when checked manually. This match must be verified without using the link, number or QR code received.

This page does not prove that a message is safe and does not replace your bank, the police, Safeonweb, a platform or a public service.
A scam may be new, very well written or described with too little context. Use the result as decision support, not as absolute certainty.
Before taking a final action, checking through the official channel matters more than the appearance of the received message.

Type the service address yourself or open the official app. Do not use a phone number, link or QR code from the suspicious message to verify the situation.
When money, card details, a code or account access are involved, the safety action comes first. The analysis can then help organise the evidence.

A low number of signals does not mean that everything is safe. It only means that this page or analysis did not find decisive evidence with the information available.
Focus on the requested action: paying, sharing a code, installing an app, approving a bank action or leaving an official platform. That action matters more than a logo, sender name or polished wording.
If the situation feels urgent, step away from the received message first. Then check calmly through a channel you already trusted before the message arrived.

For the changed-number family message, focus on the relevant Belgian next step: open the official channel yourself, contact the bank, use Safeonweb or preserve evidence.
The right decision for the changed-number family message depends on what has already happened. Reading a message is not the same as clicking, paying, sharing a code or granting remote access.

Do not use the received link, QR code or contact details. Open the named service's official channel yourself.

No. Focus on the requested action, the exact domain and confirmation obtained through an independent official channel.

Stop the action, contact the relevant service through official details and alert your bank immediately when financial information is involved.