How to protect yourself from AI scams.
Five simple habits that stop almost every version of this scam. None of them require being tech-savvy — just a few minutes to agree on a plan before you ever need it.
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Agree on a family secret phrase
Pick a word or short phrase with your close family — something never posted online, texted, or said over voicemail — that only you and they would know. If someone calls claiming to be a relative in trouble, ask them for it. A cloned voice can sound exactly right, but it can't know a phrase that was never shared over any channel a scammer could have listened in on. Pick it together in person, change it now and then, and treat it like a spare house key: useful only if it stays private.
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Always hang up and call back yourself
No matter how real the call sounds, hang up and call the person — or your bank, or the agency — back using a number you already have: saved in your phone, printed on a card, or on the back of a real bank statement. Never use a number the caller gives you, and never let someone stay "on the line to help" while you supposedly call to check — a scammer can keep a phone line open without you realizing it's not actually disconnected.
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Check who a seller or "support" contact really is
Buying from someone new, or getting a call from "customer service"? Ask for a work email address at their company — not a personal Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook address. Then look closely at the domain (the part after the @): scammers often register addresses just one letter off from the real company, like amaz0n-support.com instead of amazon.com, or bankofa.com instead of bankofamerica.com. A domain that doesn't match the company's real website exactly, or that looks brand new, is a serious red flag.
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Slow down when there's pressure
Urgency is the scam. Real banks, government agencies, and genuine family emergencies almost never require you to act in the next five minutes, keep it secret from the rest of your family, or pay using gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency. If you feel rushed, or told not to tell anyone, that's exactly the moment to stop and verify — not the moment to comply faster.
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Prepare before you need it
Keep a written list of the phone numbers that actually matter — your bank's real fraud line, close family, your doctor — somewhere easy to reach, like taped inside a cupboard or stuck on the fridge. Not buried in a phone you might be too flustered to search under pressure. Write your family's agreed phrase there too, with a simple reminder: hang up, call back on a number you already have, ask for the phrase. A simple, visible procedure you wrote down in a calm moment is far more useful in the moment than anything you're trying to remember for the first time under stress.
None of this requires being an expert. The families who avoid these scams aren't the ones with the most technology — they're the ones who spent ten minutes, once, agreeing on a plan together.
Read first: ← How do AI scams actually work?