Why it matters
Scammers can copy a person's voice from a short clip posted online and use it to fake an emergency call from a relative. The FTC has warned about these "family emergency" scams, and the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center recommends creating a secret word or phrase with your family to verify identity. A safe word costs nothing, and setting one up takes about ten minutes.
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Steps
- Pick a word or short phrase that isn't guessable from social media. Skip pet names, street names, school mascots and birthdays. Two unrelated words work well ("pickle lighthouse"). If you're stuck, ask ChatGPT or Claude for ten random two-word combinations and choose one yourself. Don't tell the AI what it's for or who it's for.
- Share it in person or on a phone call you started. Don't text it, email it or post it.
- Agree on the rule: anyone asking for money, gift cards, crypto or passwords in an "emergency" has to say the word. No word, no money.
- Add the FTC's callback rule: hang up and call the person back on a number you know is theirs. If you can't reach them, call another family member or a friend who would know.
- Practice once. Have someone call a grandparent or teenager with a fake "emergency" and make sure they ask for the word.
- For a small business, do the same for payments: no bank change, wire or gift-card purchase gets approved without a callback to a known number, even if the voice sounds exactly like the boss.
- If you get one of these calls, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FBI also takes reports at ic3.gov.
Copy-paste script
Save this in your phone's notes and share it with family
If you get a call, text or video from "me" or anyone in the family saying they're in trouble and need money: 1. Stay calm. Say: "I want to help. What's our word?" 2. No word, or the wrong word: hang up. 3. Call them back on the number saved in your phone. 4. Can't reach them? Call [BACKUP PERSON] at [NUMBER]. 5. Never send gift cards, crypto, wire transfers or cash to someone because they're rushing you.
Common mistakes
- Choosing a word that's on your Facebook page, like your dog's name.
- Texting the word to the family group chat. If a phone or account is compromised, so is the word.
- Only telling some of the family. Kids and grandparents answer the phone too.
- Trusting caller ID. The FCC warns that callers can fake the name and number your caller ID shows.
- Assuming you'd hear the difference. The FTC warns that a cloned voice can sound just like your family member.
- Posting lots of public video of your voice. The FBI suggests limiting public posts of your voice and image and keeping social accounts private.
Sources
- Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) | Criminals Use Generative Artificial Intelligence to Facilitate Financial Fraud
- Scammers use AI to enhance their family emergency schemes | Consumer Advice
- Scammers Use Fake Emergencies To Steal Your Money | Consumer Advice
- Family Emergency Scams | Consumer Advice
- Caller ID Spoofing | Federal Communications Commission
