How to Create a Family Code Word to Stop Voice Clone Scams

AI voice cloning scams increased 1,300% in 2025. One in four phone calls now contains AI-generated audio. The 'grandparent scam' - where criminals clone a grandchild's voice and call pretending to be in an emergency - has cost families millions. But there's a simple, free defense that makes your family nearly immune: a secret code word.

How Voice Clone Scams Work

The scam is devastatingly simple:

1. Scammer finds audio of your family member (social media, voicemail, YouTube)
2. AI clones their voice from just 3 seconds of audio
3. They call you pretending to be that person
4. They claim emergency: "I'm in jail," "I was in an accident," "I've been kidnapped"
5. They demand immediate payment via wire transfer or gift cards
6. They create urgency: "Don't tell anyone," "I need it now"

The voice sounds exactly like your loved one. Under stress, even skeptical people have been fooled.

Why Code Words Work

A code word is something only real family members know. When someone calls claiming to be family in an emergency, you simply ask: "What's our code word?"

• Real family: Says the code word instantly
• Scammer: Makes excuses, gets angry, or hangs up

It's that simple. No AI can guess a code word it has never heard.

Use our [Family Emergency Code Word Generator](/tools/family-code-word-generator) to create your family's code word system.

How to Set Up Your Family Code Word

Step 1: Choose Your Code Word

Good code words are:

• Memorable (everyone can remember it under stress)
• Private (not on social media or public anywhere)
• Random (can't be guessed from knowing your family)
• Speakable (easy to say clearly on a phone call)

Examples:

• Random combinations: "purple dinosaur," "coffee submarine"
• Private family references: Inside jokes only your family knows
• Memorable phrases: Tied to a shared memory

Step 2: Have a Family Meeting

This works best in person or on video call. Explain:

• What voice clone scams are
• Why you're creating a code word
• That ANY emergency money request requires the code word first
• That police/hospitals/lawyers will never ask for the code word

Step 3: Practice Using It

Run a quick drill:

• Call a family member
• Ask for the code word
• Have them practice saying it naturally

Step 4: Establish Rules

Agree as a family:

• Any emergency call requesting money = ask for code word first
• If they don't know it = hang up and call back on known number
• Never reveal the code word to anyone who asks what it is
• Update the code word yearly or if compromised

What To Do When You Get a Suspicious Call

1. Stay calm - Urgency is a manipulation tactic
2. Ask for the code word - Real family knows it instantly
3. If they don't know it: Hang up immediately
4. Call back on a known number - Not a number they give you
5. Tell other family members - Scammers may try multiple people
6. Report it - FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov

Protecting Elderly Family Members

Grandparents are the most common targets. Help them by:

• Setting up the code word system with them specifically
• Explaining how realistic AI voices have become
• Practicing the "ask for code word" response
• Telling them it's okay to hang up and call back
• Reminding them you would never ask them to keep secrets

Additional Protection Layers

Beyond the code word:

• Limit voice exposure: Set social media to private, don't post videos publicly
• Set a dollar limit: Agree that any request over $X requires in-person verification
• Backup verification: Agree to video call for any emergency
• Bank alerts: Enable notifications for large transfers
• Talk about scams: Regular family conversations about current scams

The Bottom Line

Voice clone technology is getting better every month. What sounded obviously fake last year sounds perfectly real today. But scammers can never clone what they don't know.

A simple code word that lives only in your family's memory is an unbreakable defense. Spend 15 minutes setting it up today, and your family becomes nearly immune to one of the fastest-growing scams of 2025.

Use our [Family Emergency Code Word Generator](/tools/family-code-word-generator) to create your family's protection system right now.