Voice-clone family emergency scams
If a familiar voice asks urgently for money, slow down and call back.
How to do it
Hang up or pause the conversation. Call the person on a number you already know, or contact another family member through a separate channel. Do not send money while you are being pressured.
Prompt to try
Help me write a calm family plan for unexpected emergency calls: call back using a saved number, contact a second relative, and never send money before confirming.
A fictional example
A fictional caller sounds like Amira’s grandson and asks for an urgent transfer. Amira hangs up and calls his saved number; he is safe.
Keep private
Do not tell an unknown caller your family’s names, whereabouts, passwords, or verification plan.
Before you rely on the answer
The FTC warns that scammers can use voice cloning in family emergency scams and recommends hanging up and calling the person back on a known number. See the source below.
Source: US Federal Trade Commission, family emergency scams.