Free — takes 5 minutes

The Family Code-Word Kit

Scammers can now clone a real voice from a few seconds of audio — a grandchild's voicemail, a video posted online — and use it to fake an urgent, panicked phone call asking for money or gift cards. The single best defense costs nothing and takes five minutes: agree on a code word.

Step 1

Pick a word nobody outside your family would guess

Not a pet's name, not a birthday, not anything posted on social media. A random word or short phrase works best — the odd little details are what make it hard to guess.

Step 2

Agree on when to use it

  • Any call asking for money, gift cards, or account details — especially if it sounds urgent or upset.
  • Any call claiming to be a relative in trouble, or someone claiming to be a lawyer, bail bondsman, or police officer calling on their behalf.
  • Any message that pressures you not to hang up and check with anyone else — that pressure itself is a warning sign.
Step 3

Tell everyone the same simple rule

If the word isn't said, hang up and call that person back directly on a number you already have saved — never a number the caller gives you. A real emergency survives a callback. A scam usually doesn't.

Share it today. This only works if everyone in the family knows it — parents, grandparents, kids old enough to answer a phone. Send this page to them, or just tell them the word directly.

Not sure how exposed your family is? Take the 2-minute Household AI Risk Check →