Agree on one rule before a frightening call arrives: a familiar voice is not proof of identity. If someone unexpectedly claims a relative is in danger and demands money, pause, hang up, and call that person on a number you already have saved. If they do not answer, contact another relative or friend independently. Never call a number supplied by the caller.
Why a familiar voice is not enough
Voice-cloning software can imitate someone using a short audio clip, including audio that is available online. That means hearing a parent, child, or grandchild does not establish who is actually calling. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) advises: “Don’t trust the voice. Call the person who supposedly contacted you and verify the story.” Its guidance is to use a phone number you know belongs to that person. FTC guidance on AI-enhanced family emergency scams
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A caller ID name, realistic voice, or plausible personal detail can all make a story feel convincing; none replaces checking through a separate, trusted channel.
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- Stop the conversation. Do not let urgency or a request for secrecy prevent you from checking. Say you will call back, then end the call or stop replying.
- Call the person using a saved number. Do not use a callback number, link, or contact detail supplied in the unexpected message.
- If they do not answer, verify another way. Contact a different relative or the purportedly affected person’s friend using contact information you already trust.
- Do not send money before verification. Do not wire funds, send cryptocurrency, or buy gift cards and share their codes in response to unexpected contact.
- Keep checking through a separate channel. If the story cannot be verified, do not treat the caller’s reassurance or repeated demands as proof.
The same pause-and-verify rule applies when an unexpected caller claims to represent a government agency or business. The FTC says to hang up and contact the organization through a phone number or website you already know is real; do not transfer money in response to an unexpected demand. FTC advice on government and business impersonation scams
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Make a family verification plan now
Set up a simple routine with older relatives and anyone who might receive an emergency call. Keep the plan accessible, such as beside the phone or in a shared family contact list.
- Save current phone numbers for close family members in the older person’s phone and in a place they can find easily.
- Choose a backup person to call if the relative named in an emergency does not answer.
- Agree that nobody will send money, gift-card codes, or cryptocurrency after unexpected contact until the story has been independently checked.
- Remind everyone that a believable voice, caller ID, or urgent story does not confirm identity.
- Consider an optional private family code phrase as an extra signal, not a substitute for calling back. Keep it off social media and do not share it with callers. A code phrase is not official FTC advice, and a request for money still calls for independent verification.
Avoid relying on personal-trivia questions as proof: details about someone’s life may be public or obtainable elsewhere.
Can call blocking or an AI detector prevent the scam?
Call-blocking features from a carrier or phone can reduce many unwanted calls, but they cannot prove that a familiar voice is genuine. Check what is available on the person’s existing phone and service, and choose settings they can use comfortably. If comparing options, consider whether approved contacts can still get through, whether unknown callers can leave voicemail, setup accessibility, recurring cost, and how the service handles data.
Do not ask an older relative to judge an urgent call by listening for glitches or running it through an AI detector. The FTC describes technical approaches including upstream authentication, real-time detection, and analysis of recorded audio, but says tools have varying effectiveness, watermarks can be removed or altered, and fraudsters adapt. Its conclusion is that “there’s no single solution.” Independent callback verification is the practical safeguard. FTC analysis of technology to combat voice cloning
What the fraud figures do—and do not—show
FTC figures indicate that impersonation fraud is a substantial concern, but they do not measure deepfake scams specifically. In a 2025 report, the agency said reports from adults 60 and older who said they lost at least $10,000 to government or business impersonation scams rose more than fourfold from 2020 to 2024. Reported losses by older adults who said they lost more than $100,000 to those scams rose from $55 million in 2020 to $445 million in 2024. These are figures for impersonation scams, not proof that voice cloning caused those losses. FTC 2025 impersonation-scam findings
In 2026, the FTC reported that people of all ages reported losing $3.5 billion to imposter scams in 2025, and nearly one in three fraud reports concerned imposter scams. Those totals cover imposter scams broadly, not deepfake-only incidents. The FTC materials cited here describe family-emergency voice-cloning schemes but do not establish what share of older-adult fraud involves synthetic audio or video. FTC 2026 imposter-scam figures
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.If someone has already responded to a scam
If money or gift-card codes were sent, contact the bank, payment service, or gift-card issuer promptly and ask whether the transaction can be stopped or recovered. Preserve messages, phone numbers, receipts, and other records. In the United States, report the attempt or loss at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FTC’s consumer alert also points families to the Elder Justice Coordinating Council’s Never Ever campaign for educational resources on recognizing, avoiding, and reporting imposter scams. Never Ever campaign
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