# Protect your family from AI voice-clone scam calls Last checked Oct 28, 2026 . Published Nov 6, 2026 Time: about 20 minutes . Difficulty: easy A familiar voice isn't proof an emergency call is real. Make a callback plan, pick a private family phrase, and know who to contact if money was sent. Finish line: a family code word everyone knows by heart, a backup question, and a one page plan to print. **If the call is happening now:** hang up and call your loved one on a number you already trust. Don't let the caller pick the person or number that will "confirm" the story. If someone is in immediate danger, call local emergency services yourself. You don't need to work out whether the voice is fake first. What matters is whether you can check the person and the request on your own. ## Pick a family code word Make your plan with this prompt: [Family code word plan](/prompts/family-code-word-plan/). It helps you pick a word, teach it to grandparents and kids, and print a one page plan. The [FBI recommends a family word or phrase](https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2024/PSA241203) to confirm who you're talking to. Agree on it in private, and pick something nobody could guess from your family's public posts. Make sure everyone who will use it knows the plan. Don't write the phrase on your contact note, in case the note gets lost. Don't type it into an AI chat or post a photo of it. Even if a caller gets it right, still watch for other warning signs and still call back on a number you trust. If you think the phrase has leaked, pick a new one in private. **Watch out:** never type your real code word into any AI chat, this prompt included. The prompt never asks for it. ## Don't trust the voice The [FTC warns](https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2023/03/scammers-use-ai-enhance-their-family-emergency-schemes) that a scammer can copy a loved one's voice from a short recording posted online. Its advice: call the person on a number you know, or reach them through another relative or friend. The story might be an accident, an arrest or a trip gone wrong. The [FTC's family-emergency guidance](https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2018/07/scammers-create-fake-emergencies-get-your-money) describes the pressure: act fast, keep it secret, or trust someone pretending to be an official. A caller who knows personal details can still be lying. This guide turns that advice into a plan your family can make together. The wording and contact note below are our suggestions. No single check will catch every scam. ### Reduce what strangers can collect The [FBI's guidance](https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2024/PSA241203) suggests limiting the voice clips and photos you post publicly and keeping social media accounts private. Sit down together and check who can see your posts. Ask whether recordings, location clues and who is related to whom really need to be public. Privacy settings make you harder to target, but they don't make any call trustworthy. Don't blame a relative for sharing a video. The goal is a plan everyone will use, including whoever feels embarrassed about a suspicious call. ## Hang up and call back For each close relative, pick the number you'd use to reach them, plus a backup person who might know where they are. Agree that nobody will be upset if someone double-checks a scary request. That makes it easier to break the pressure of a frightening call. Try saying this (our wording): > I want to help. I am going to end this call and check on you through our usual contact route. Say it out loud once to practice. You don't have to argue with the caller or explain how you're checking. If the first person doesn't answer, try your backup. A call that goes unanswered doesn't prove it's a scam, or that it's real. ### Make your own contact note You don't need another article or a downloadable card. Copy this into a private note on your phone or onto paper. Leave out account numbers, passwords and the family phrase. | Contact | Name | Trusted number or route | | --- | --- | --- | | Person I would check on first | Fill in privately | Fill in privately | | Backup relative or friend | Fill in privately | Fill in privately | | Another trusted person nearby | Fill in privately | Fill in privately | | Bank or card provider | Provider name | Use the card, statement or official app | Add a reminder at the top: **Check on your own before paying.** Update it when someone's number changes. Ask each person where they'll keep their copy, so they can find it in a stressful moment instead of digging through an old chat. ## Never pay in a rush The [FTC's voice-cloning advice](https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2023/03/scammers-use-ai-enhance-their-family-emergency-schemes) says an urgent request to wire money, buy gift cards or send cryptocurrency is a warning sign. Don't pay while you're still checking who is calling. The caller might switch from a family emergency to a story about your bank or an account. The [FTC's guidance on unexpected financial calls](https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2026/01/how-handle-unexpected-calls-claim-your-money-risk) says to contact the bank or company yourself, using its official app, its website, a recent statement or the back of your card. It also warns against trusting a phone number from a paid search result. Keep verification codes to yourself, and never give a stranger remote access to your device. The [FCC says](https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/scam-alert/grandparent-scams-get-more-sophisticated) scammers may ask you to pay with a payment app, a wire transfer, gift cards or money orders, or to hand cash to someone in person. Any of those is a reason to stop and check. The FCC's advice: don't trust the voice on the phone. Write down the details, hang up, and call your relative on the number saved in your contacts. The FCC's page titled 'Grandparent' Scams Get More Sophisticated, with its advice not to trust the voice and its red flags: payment apps, wire transfers, gift cards and money orders. ## Practice once, then report Take turns reading out a made-up urgent request. The other person practices hanging up, finding the contact note and choosing the backup person. Don't fake a real crisis without warning everyone involved. Make it clear it's practice. The goal is simple: everyone knows how to check a worrying request, where their trusted numbers are, and who can help if something goes wrong. ### If money or information was already shared Contact the company you used to send the money right away. The [FTC's recovery guide](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-you-were-scammed) has steps for banks, payment apps, card companies, wire services, gift cards and cryptocurrency. Tell them you were tricked and ask if the payment can be reversed or refunded. You may not get the money back. Keep receipts, gift cards and payment records, plus any messages and the time of the call. If you gave out a password, change it, and change it anywhere else you used it. If you shared identity details, follow the steps in the FTC guide instead of guessing what to fix first. Report it at [ReportFraud.ftc.gov](https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/) and to the [FBI's IC3](https://www.ic3.gov/). Tell someone you trust what happened so you have help following up. You don't need to understand the technology to ask for help. ## Checklist - [ ] Family code word picked in person, never written in a chat or on paper - [ ] Everyone knows: hang up and call back on a saved number - [ ] Contact list made (who to call first, a backup, your bank's number from your card) - [ ] Practice run done, next one on the calendar - [ ] Everyone knows where to report: ReportFraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov ## You need - Your phone and a private place to make a family plan - Trusted contact numbers you already know ## Steps 1. **Pick a family code word.** Agree on it in person. Never post it, text it or write it down. 2. **Don't trust the voice.** A copied voice can sound exactly right, and caller ID can be faked. 3. **Hang up and call back.** Use the number saved in your phone, never one the caller gives you. 4. **Never pay in a rush.** A payment app, wire, gift cards, money orders or cash handed over in person are signs to stop and check. 5. **Practice once, then report.** Run a 2-minute drill every few months. Report scam calls at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov. ## Prompts in this guide ### Prompt: Our family code word plan ``` FILL THIS IN (then copy everything into your AI chat) Who I'll teach it to (the people who need the plan, like grandparents, kids or both): grandparents, kids (Don't write your code word anywhere in this prompt.) --- Don't change anything below this line --- You are a calm family safety coach. Help me set up a family code word plan against fake emergency calls that use a copied voice, one the people in "Who I'll teach it to" will actually remember and use. Do NOT ask me for our actual code word. Don't suggest example code words or example backup questions; I'll pick my own. Give me: 1) 5 rules for picking a good code word (easy to remember, hard to guess, not a pet's name or anything on social media). 2) A short script for teaching it in person, written separately for each group in "Who I'll teach it to", in words that fit that group. Under 100 words each. 3) If someone forgets the word under stress: how to pick one backup question only real family could answer (don't suggest one), and the rule that it's still fine to hang up and call back. 4) What to do if a call feels off, as 4 short steps: don't send money, gift cards or codes; hang up; call back on a number already saved in my phone; tell the family. 5) A 2-minute practice drill we can run in a few months so nobody forgets, and how to change the word if it ever gets shared. 6) A one-page plan I can print, with blanks for the people to call back and their saved numbers. Keep the code word and the backup answer off the printed page; they're memorized, never written down. Keep it calm and simple. No scam statistics. Stop after part 6; don't offer extra files or follow-ups. ``` ## FAQ **Do I need to prove the voice was generated by AI?** No. Check the person and the story another way, like calling back on a number you trust. You don't need to know what technology the caller used. **Is a family phrase enough?** It helps, but it's not a guarantee. If the request is unusual or urgent, call back on a number you trust as well. **Do I need to buy an identity-protection service?** No. You can make this plan without one. This guide doesn't review or recommend any paid service. **The call showed my grandson's number. Doesn't that prove it's him?** No. The FCC warns that scammers can fake (spoof) caller ID. Hang up and call back on the number saved in your phone. ## Sources - [Criminals Use Generative Artificial Intelligence to Facilitate Financial Fraud](https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2024/PSA241203) (FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center) - [Scammers use AI to enhance their family emergency schemes](https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2023/03/scammers-use-ai-enhance-their-family-emergency-schemes) (Federal Trade Commission) - [How to handle unexpected calls that claim your money is at risk](https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2026/01/how-handle-unexpected-calls-claim-your-money-risk) (Federal Trade Commission) - [What To Do if You Were Scammed](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-you-were-scammed) (Federal Trade Commission) - [Scammers create fake emergencies to get your money](https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2018/07/scammers-create-fake-emergencies-get-your-money) (Federal Trade Commission) - ['Grandparent' Scams Get More Sophisticated](https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/scam-alert/grandparent-scams-get-more-sophisticated) (Federal Communications Commission)