If someone who sounds like a relative phones asking for money in a hurry, hang up and call that relative back on a number you already have for them. A voice is no longer proof of who is speaking, because voices can be copied.
Last reviewed 2 October 2026. The sources are two United States agencies, and the steps below work the same wherever you live.
Why a voice is not proof
The United States Federal Trade Commission (the American consumer protection agency) warned on 20 March 2023 that scammers can use artificial intelligence to copy a family member’s voice from a short clip found online, and then phone with an emergency story.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (the place where people in the United States report internet crime) describes the same pattern in its 2025 report. It calls them “grandparent” or “distress” scams, in which voice cloning is used to sound like a loved one in trouble, and says victims reported losses of over $5 million in 2025. That figure is what people reported to Internet Crime Complaint Center, so it covers only what was reported.
What to do during the call
- Do not rely on the voice. Hang up.
- Call the person back on a number you already hold, from your own contacts. Do not use the number that called you, or a number the caller gives you.
- If they do not answer, try to reach them through another family member or one of their friends. The Federal Trade Commission gives this step too.
- Treat these payment requests as warning signs: a bank wire transfer, cryptocurrency or gift cards. The Federal Trade Commission names all three.
- Calling back costs a few minutes. Payments by transfer, cryptocurrency or gift card are usually hard to get back.
Agree a family safe word before it happens
A safe word is one word that only your family knows. Ask for it whenever a call or message asks for money, a code or urgent help, even when it sounds like someone you love. If there is no word, or the wrong word, hang up and call back on the number you already have.
Say the word out loud, on a call you started. Never type it into a message. Choose a random word, and avoid pet names, birthdays and anything on social media. If anyone has typed it into a message, choose a new one.
Family Safe Word makes a word on your own phone or computer, saves nothing, and prints a card for the fridge. A safe word is one extra check, and it works best together with calling back.
If you have already sent money
Phone your bank straight away, on the number printed on your card or in the bank’s own app, and ask whether the payment can be stopped. Then report it: in the United States at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, or anywhere else through official help, country by country.
Sources
The Federal Trade Commission consumer alert, 20 March 2023: scammers use artificial intelligence to enhance their family emergency schemes. Federal Bureau of Investigation Internet Crime Complaint Center 2025 Internet Crime Report (grandparent and distress scams, page 39).
Watch: the short video
Related guides
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Agree the word.
Keep the card.
Family Safe Word runs on your own phone or computer. What you choose stays on your device.