It was a simple message that could've easily cost my mum thousands of dollars if she had fallen for the latest scam going around WhatsApp.

At the time, I was on an overseas holiday, and mum knew I had a different sim.

So it wasn't unusual that I had a different number, but what was unusual was that I had "changed it" so close to coming home.

All she said was 'ok'. The scammers then tried to initiate a conversation, but their responses to her questions set off several alarm bells.

Firstly the scammers had cloned my name to make it look like it was me texting. They didn't even capitalise the 'V' on my first name. That really should've been the first red flag for my mum.

The second red flag was the constant use of the word 'mum".

'Oh, that doesn't sound too fine mum', 'Very happy so far mum' and 'Should be resolved tomorrow mum', were just some of the messages my mum received.

Nothing like the way I text or speak.

Then they asked for money. And at that point, my mum clued on.

She told them to call her via Facebook messenger, and then stopped responding to them.

My mum knows that if there were a real emergency, I would've called ASAP, like when my bags got lost at Athens airport (but that's a story for another time).

At that point, she messaged my husband and me over Facebook messenger to make sure everything was ok. We didn't respond.

So naturally, my mum's mind went straight to 'Taken' or that someone had stolen my phone.

But my phone wasn't stolen.

It was just the middle of the night in London. I had been fast asleep - oblivious to what was going on back home.

Everything was fine, and once I confirmed that it was not me asking for money, she swiftly blocked and reported the number.

She got another one of these messages last week. She swiftly blocked that number too.

My mum's knowledge of my texting habits saved her from getting scammed.

So if you get a 'Hi mum' message over WhatsApp, double check via SMS or a phone call to make sure the person messaging you is all right.

It could just save you thousands of dollars.

Vera Demertzis

ACM journalist