How to protect parents from AI voice cloning scams

How voice cloning scams work

The FTC says a scammer needs only "a short audio clip of your family member's voice," which could come from content posted online, plus a voice-cloning program. The call sounds like a grandchild or child in trouble: an accident, an arrest, a hospital. Sometimes a fake lawyer or police officer takes over the call.

The FCC adds that caller ID can be spoofed so the call appears to come from a trusted source, and that callers often ask the victim to keep it secret. The FCC has also ruled that robocalls using AI-generated voices are, with some exceptions, illegal under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. That doesn't stop criminals, but it does mean these calls are worth reporting.

Set up a family code word in 10 minutes

The FBI recommends families "create a secret word or phrase" to verify identity. Here's how to do it well:

1. Pick something unguessable

   Not a pet's name, street or birthday that might be on social media. A silly phrase works: "purple pancakes."

2. Share it in person or on a call

   Not in a group chat, email or social post.

3. Include everyone who might "call in trouble"

   Grandchildren, adult children, and anyone your parent would send money to.

4. Practice once

   Role-play a pretend emergency call. Saying it out loud makes it stick under stress.

5. Write it somewhere private

   Somewhere your parent can find it, but not on the fridge for visitors to see.

What your parent should say on the call

Five red flags, even if the voice sounds right

• Secrecy: "Please don't tell Mom and Dad." The FCC lists this as a common line.
• Urgency: Money is needed right now, before anyone can check.
• Hard-to-trace payment: The FTC flags wire transfers, crypto and gift cards, especially if they want the card numbers and PINs.
• A handoff: A "lawyer," "bail officer" or "police officer" takes over.
• A courier: Someone offers to pick up cash at the house.

Reduce what scammers can copy

The FBI suggests limiting online content of your image or voice where possible, and making social media accounts private. Talk to grandchildren about public videos. The FBI also advises listening closely to tone and word choice, though cloned voices can be convincing, so the code word and callback are more reliable than your ears.

If your parent already paid

Act fast. Call the bank or payment company using the number on the card. For gift cards, the FTC says to contact the card company right away, no matter how long ago. Then report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and, if your parent is 60 or older, call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-372-8311. Our first steps for families page walks through it.

OwlGuardian doesn't screen phone calls. It helps with the scam emails and texts that often come before or after these calls, by screening Gmail and letting your parent check any message with "Hey Siri, call my Owl."

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