“Mum, my phone got wet”: what to do

The text from a child who has changed number: how to stop it in a minute, what to do if you have already paid by Bizum and why the law protects you less there.

Text drafted with artificial intelligence. The topic, the angle and the final review are Ibrahin's. How AI is used here

If you're here because you got that message and hesitated, or because you've already replied, first things first: you're not stupid. Before reading any further, call your child on the number you've always had, the one you have saved. Don't reply to the new message or write to the new number. If they answer, it's over. If they don't answer the first time, don't assume anything: try again or call someone who's with them.

What has happened

This message is going around in Spain, exactly like this, without accents. There’s a variant that says “my phone is broken”:

Mama se me ha mojado el movil y no funciona, enviame un mensaje por wasap en cuanto puedas a este nuevo numero

In English: “Mum, my phone got wet and doesn’t work, send me a WhatsApp at this new number as soon as you can.”

Recreation of the text message with three warnings: it does not use your name or theirs, it moves you somewhere else, and the money comes later. Below: call your child on the number you have always had. — Recreation of the message. The text is the one circulating in Spain; the number is made up.

It isn't a hoax or anything new. In October 2023, Spain's Guardia Civil arrested eight people and investigated 32 more for taking 180,000 euros from 44 people in Granada with this same method, according to Spain's Interior Ministry (in Spanish). It's written by people who do this every day and have polished it on thousands of people before you.

Why it matters to you

Because it’s not the careless who fall for it: it’s people who have children and love them. And it has three tricks you don’t notice at the time:

It doesn't use your name or theirs. It's sent the same way to thousands of numbers at once, so it can't be personalised. Your child would write to you the way they always do.
It takes you away from where you can check. It moves you to WhatsApp and a new number, away from your usual conversation.
It doesn't ask for money at first. First it keeps you chatting, and the urgent Bizum (the instant mobile payment service of most Spanish banks) comes later: a deposit, a repair, a payment that has to be made today.

And what almost nobody tells you: for a charge you didn't authorise, like a cloned card, the Bank of Spain is clear: the bank must refund you by the end of the next working day, unless it proves fraud or gross negligence on your part. But a Bizum you sent yourself, even if you were tricked, was formally authorised by you, and in those cases the loss usually stays with you. It's unfair, and that's how it is.

What you can do

1. If you haven’t paid: call the usual number

That’s all it takes. One minute. And if the new number keeps going, block it.

2. If you’ve already sent the money: call your bank now

It's the first thing, and the sooner the better; it's what INCIBE, Spain's national cybersecurity institute, recommends. Then complain in writing anyway and ask for it to be registered with a number and date. If the reply doesn't satisfy you, that complaint is the compulsory first step before going to the Bank of Spain's free complaints service.

3. Report it

To the Policía Nacional or the Guardia Civil, with screenshots of the whole conversation and the number that wrote to you. It's what allows these networks to be pursued, and you need it for any later claim.

4. Call 017

It's INCIBE's cybersecurity helpline: free and confidential, from 8:00 to 23:00 every day of the year. On the other end is a person who sees this every day and won't make you feel bad.

5. Warn your family

If you've chatted on WhatsApp with that number, they have your photo and name and can use them on others. A short message to the family group is enough.

The recommendation

Agree on a word at home today: one only you know and that isn't on your social media, and the rule that any request for money by message includes it or gets ignored. It costs nothing and works better than any app.

And if you get a call with your child's voice, remember a voice is no longer proof: it can be cloned with very little. It's explained in the cloned voice scam. If you still have a question, write to me: contacto@ibrahingil.com.

Sources

Fact-check of the “my phone got wet” text — Maldita.es, in Spanish
Rise in the “child” text-message fraud in Spain — Kaspersky, in Spanish
Card payments you did not authorise — Bank of Spain, Cliente Bancario portal, in Spanish

Review

Responsible for publication: Ibrahin. Date: 2026-09-06. Last checked: 2026-09-06. The Guardia Civil operation and the 017 opening hours were checked on 2026-10-14 against the official notes from Spain's Interior Ministry and La Moncloa.