How to Set Up a Family Code Word Against AI Voice-Clone Scams
A cloned voice can sound exactly like your child or parent. A shared code word — plus a simple call-back rule — is one of the most effective defences, and it takes ten minutes to set up.
How to set up a family code word: the short answer
To protect your family from AI voice-clone scams: (1) agree a code word or phrase that isn’t guessable or posted online; (2) agree that any urgent request for money or secrecy must include it; (3) adopt a call-back rule, hang up and ring the person on a number you already have; (4) share it in person, not by text; and (5) practise once. The FBI recommends creating “a secret word or phrase with your family to verify their identity.”
A phone rings. It’s your son’s voice, panicked: there’s been an accident, he needs money for a lawyer, please don’t tell anyone. The voice is perfect, because it was generated from a short clip of him posted online.
This “family emergency” scam is old. What’s new is how convincing it can be. The FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report, the first to include a dedicated artificial-intelligence section, recorded 22,364 complaints that referenced AI, with about $893 million in reported losses. Older people bear a disproportionate share of internet-crime losses: Americans over 60 reported about $7.7 billion across all fraud types.
You can’t stop people cloning voices. You can make a cloned voice useless.
Why a code word works
Voice cloning copies how someone sounds. It doesn’t copy what only your family knows. A secret phrase, agreed in person and never posted, is something a scammer is very unlikely to have, so asking for it turns a terrifying call into a quick check.
The FBI recommended exactly this in a December 2024 public service announcement on criminals using generative AI, alongside hanging up and calling back on a known number.
Step 1: Choose the word or phrase
A good family code word is:
- Not guessable. Not a pet’s name, street, school or anything on social media.
- Memorable. Something everyone, including children and older relatives, will recall under stress.
- A little odd. Two unrelated words work well: “purple harbour”, “toaster lighthouse”.
- Easy to say. No spelling needed.
Avoid anything you’ve used as a password or security answer.
Step 2: Agree the rule
The code word only helps if everyone knows when to use it. Keep the rule simple:
If anyone in the family ever calls, texts or messages asking for money, gift cards, passwords, or to keep something secret, ask for the code word. No code word, no action.
Make it clear that asking is never rude. A real family member in real trouble will understand.
Step 3: Add a call-back rule
A code word can be forgotten in a genuine panic. So pair it with a second rule:
Hang up and call the person back on the number you already have saved, or call another family member who can check.
Scammers often “spoof” caller ID so the call appears to come from a known number. Calling back on a saved number, rather than replying to the incoming call or message, gets around that.
Step 4: Share it safely
- Tell people in person or on a video call you initiated. Don’t send it by text, email or social media message.
- Don’t write it anywhere online, not in a shared note, not in a family group chat.
- Include the right people: partners, children old enough to use a phone, grandparents, and anyone who might be targeted, such as a relative who looks after your children.
Step 5: Practise once
Run a two-minute drill: one person calls another with a made-up urgent request; the other asks for the code word and does the call-back. It feels silly. It also means that in a real moment, the response is automatic.
Step 6: Change it if it leaks
If the word is ever said on a recorded call, written somewhere public, or you suspect someone outside the family knows it, pick a new one.
Red flags to teach everyone
Even with a code word, these warning signs should trigger suspicion:
- Urgency: “right now”, “before it’s too late”.
- Secrecy: “don’t tell Mum”, “don’t call anyone”.
- Unusual payment: gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers, payment apps, cash couriers.
- A new number or account: “my phone broke, this is my friend’s number”.
- An authority figure joining the call (a “lawyer”, “police officer” or “hospital”) demanding payment.
In July 2026 the FBI also warned of scammers impersonating its own complaint centre, including with AI-generated videos, to target people who had already been scammed once. Real authorities don’t ask you to pay to recover money.
Reduce what scammers can clone
A code word is the main defence, but these help too:
- Make social media accounts private and limit followers to people you know, as the FBI suggests.
- Consider a generic voicemail greeting rather than one recorded in your own voice.
- Be cautious about “wrong number” calls that try to keep you talking.
If it happens
If you’ve sent money, contact your bank or payment provider immediately, speed matters for recovering funds. Then report it: in the US to the FBI’s IC3 (ic3.gov) and the FTC (ReportFraud.ftc.gov); in the UK to Report Fraud; in India to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (cybercrime.gov.in) or helpline 1930. Our AI agent scams guide lists more countries and explains other AI-powered scams.
Key takeaways
- Voice cloning copies how someone sounds, not what only your family knows.
- Choose an unguessable two-word phrase, share it in person, and never post it.
- Rule: no code word, no money, no secrets. Pair it with a call-back to a saved number.
- Practise once, change the word if it leaks, and teach everyone the red flags.
- If money is sent, call your bank first, then report to the official authority.
Family code word: FAQs
A two-word phrase nobody could guess or find online. Avoid pet names, birthdays, street names and anything you have posted on social media.
Yes. The FBI advises creating a secret word or phrase with your family to verify their identity, because voice cloning can copy how someone sounds but not what only your family knows.
Hang up and call the person back on a number you already have saved. No code word means no money and no secrets, however urgent the call sounds.
Sources
- ABA Banking Journal, “FBI issues warning on AI used for financial fraud” (FBI PSA of 3 December 2024, including the family code-word advice)
- FBI, “Cryptocurrency and AI Scams Bilk Americans of Billions” (2025 Internet Crime Report, April 2026)
- FBI IC3, “FBI Warns of Scammers Impersonating the IC3” (20 July 2026)
- FBI IC3, 2025 Internet Crime Report (PDF)
