Call script and safe word card
AI voice cloning scam calls: what to ask
If a call sounds like a family member in trouble and asks for money, hang up and call that person back on the number you already have. Voices can be copied with AI, so a familiar voice is no longer proof. A family safe word gives you a fast check. Make one below and print the card for the fridge.
How the call goes
You get a call, often at night. The voice sounds like your grandchild, child or sibling. They are crying or rushed, say they have been in an accident or arrested, and beg you not to tell anyone. Then someone else, a "lawyer" or "officer", asks for money today: by gift cards, cryptocurrency, a bank transfer or a courier who comes to your door.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre calls this the emergency or grandparent scam. It is older than AI. What has changed is that a voice can now be copied from a short video or voicemail, so "it sounded just like her" is no longer proof.
The one rule
Hang up and call back on a number you already have.
Use your own contacts, not a number the caller gives you and not the one on the screen. If the person does not answer, call another relative. This ends nearly every version of the scam, because the real family member will tell you they are fine.
Five things to say or ask
Keep these by the phone. You do not have to be rude. Being calm and a little slow is the best defence.
Can I call you right back?
Say it early. If they refuse, get angry or say there is no time, that is your answer. A real person in trouble will let you call back.
What is our family safe word?
If you have one, ask for it every time, even when the voice sounds exactly right. If you have not made one yet, do that after this call.
Don't say the name for them
Do not say "Is that you, Michael?". Ask "Who is this?" and let them say it. Scammers use whatever you give them.
Ask something only the real person would know
Not something posted online. What did we eat last Sunday? What is the name of the street we used to live on? An honest answer helps, but a good answer is not proof. Calling back is.
Where exactly are you, and who is with you?
Vague answers, a lawyer or officer who suddenly takes the phone, or a request not to tell anyone are all part of the script.
Make your family safe word
A safe word is one word or phrase your family agrees on in person. If a call asks for money, you ask for the word. Here is one made at random, with a card you can print for the fridge or wallet. Agree it face to face, and change it if it has ever been said in a text or posted online.
Your suggested safe word
Press the button
Picked at random in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere. You can also make up your own: pick something that is not a pet name, birthday or street, and that nobody could guess from social media.
Our family safe word
Write it here:
- Someone calls and asks for money, or says they are in trouble? Ask for the safe word.
- No safe word, or any doubt? Hang up. Call the person back on the number you already have.
- Never pay with gift cards, cryptocurrency or a courier who picks up cash.
- Don't give names or details. Let them tell you.
Report scams to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: 1-888-495-8501. Keep this card somewhere only family can see it, and don't post the word online or send it by text.
If you already sent money
Call your bank straight away on the number on your card and say it was a scam. Then report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre on 1-888-495-8501 or at reportcyberandfraud.canada.ca. These calls are designed to work on people who care.
Cut down what a scammer can copy
- Make social media accounts private, or limit who can see videos with your voice or a family member's voice.
- Do not answer unknown numbers with your name. Let them speak first.
- Tell relatives about the safe word. Everyone in the family needs to know it, including the ones who never pick up.
Common questions
Can scammers really copy a voice with AI?
Yes. Reports in Canada describe scammers using AI to make a voice sound like a family member, often from a short clip posted on social media. You cannot rely on a voice sounding right, and the call may also come with a crying or panicked tone to rush you.
What is a family safe word?
It is a word or short phrase that only your family knows. If someone calls in an emergency and asks for money, you ask for the safe word. A real family member can give it. A scammer cannot. It works best alongside the rule to hang up and call back.
What if the caller says not to hang up?
That is a warning sign. Real emergencies can wait the two minutes it takes to call back on a number you already have. Scammers push you to stay on the line and keep it secret because a call to the real person ends the scam.
What if a lawyer or police officer also gets on the call?
This is a common part of the script. Hang up. Police and courts do not ask for bail or fees in cash, gift cards, cryptocurrency or a courier pickup. Call your family member and, if you like, your local police non-emergency line.
I sent money. What now?
Call your bank straight away, using the number on the back of your card, and tell them it was a scam. Then report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre on 1-888-495-8501 or online. Do not be embarrassed: these calls are built to work on kind people.
Sources
Want to set this up with your family?
In a scam defence session I walk through the scams going around right now, set up your family safe word and practise with real examples. It is a flat C$149.