LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) -- Scammers are texting children by the wrong name, hoping it starts a conversation with them to get personal information.

One Lafayette teen was messaged, "Hi, Rose. This is Elizabeth. Sorry to bother you, just trying to reach out to see how you're doing."

Her name is not Rose, so it may seem like the sender texted the wrong number. Most people would reply, "Sorry, wrong number," which is exactly what the scammers want.

If the child responds, the scammer starts a conversation, telling the child they could be friends.

The mother of a 13-year-old who was targeted in this scam wants to warn other parents to be aware of "friends" their child is messaging.

"They could be like, 'Oh, well, what's your name? What school do you go to?' And then they play this role of, 'Oh, well, I'm in the same grade,'" the mother said. "They try to befriend the kids before they actually get their information or their parents' information."

The 13-year-old blocked the unknown number.

"To see that text message on my 13-year-old daughter's phone, at first, I was mad because how did you get my daughter's number? Where is it accessible like that?" the mother said.

"Secondly, the anger was covered with fear, because if they're doing this now to my daughter, how many other kids are also possibly going through this as well, and how many parents are aware of this?" she continued.

To protect your child against this scam, monitor their messages. Have conversations about the dangers of responding to unknown numbers. Block texts and calls from unknown numbers in your child's phone settings to prevent your child from getting scam messages.

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