How to Set Up a Family Safe Word for AI Voice Scams
Scammers can copy a voice from a short clip. A family safe word stops them. How to pick one, share it and use it, based on FBI advice.
The phone rings. It's your son's voice, scared, saying he's in trouble and needs money tonight. Scammers can now copy a voice from a short clip posted online, so a familiar voice on the phone doesn't prove who's calling anymore. A family safe word does.
In December 2024 the FBI warned that criminals use AI-generated audio to pretend to be people close to their victims. One of its first tips: create a secret word or phrase with your family to check who you're talking to.
How to pick a good safe word
- Make it random. Skip pet names, street names, birthdays and anything that's ever been in a social media post. "Purple stapler" beats "Buddy."
- Make it easy to say under stress. Two ordinary words that don't belong together work well.
- Never write it in a text or email. Messages get hacked and forwarded.
How to share it
Tell each person in person or on a call you started yourself. Include everyone who could get a fake emergency call: grandparents, parents, older kids, and anyone who handles money for the family. Grandparents are a common target, so start with them.
The rules that make it work
- Any call asking for money or secrecy gets the question: "What's our word?"
- No word, no money. Hang up, even if the voice sounds exactly right.
- Then call back on a number you already have. Not the number that called you. If you can't reach them, call someone else who can check on them.
- The real person will never be upset you asked. Say this out loud when you set it up, so nobody feels rude using it.
Signs it's a scam, safe word or not
- Pressure to act right now
- A request to keep it secret from the rest of the family
- Payment by gift card, wire transfer, cryptocurrency or a courier picking up cash
- A voice that sounds slightly flat, or words your relative wouldn't use (the FBI suggests listening for unnatural tone or word choice)
If money already went out
Call your bank or card company right away, then report it to the FBI at ic3.gov and to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Speed matters when it comes to stopping a transfer.
The AI Scam Shield guide has a printable safe-word card, a scam-call script to keep by the phone, and a weekend checklist for the rest of your accounts.
Sources: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, Alert I-120324-PSA (December 3, 2024).