Here's the setup from the video: a safe word your family knows, a call-back rule, and exactly what to say in the first minute of a “send money now” call that sounds like your kid.
Why I care about this one: the voice in my videos is AI, so I know how real a copied voice sounds. The FTC says a scammer can clone a voice from a short clip posted online, and the FBI says criminals use clips like that to play a relative in a crisis and ask for money right away. The fix costs nothing. It's one family conversation, a few saved numbers, and a practice call.
Start here: paste this into ChatGPT or Claude
Not technical? Start here. Copy this prompt into ChatGPT or Claude (the free versions work) and it walks you through the whole guide, one step at a time, in plain English. It asks before it assumes anything and checks with you before anything that costs money, reaches real people or deletes something. It also knows never to ask for your safe word: that stays off the computer. The rest of the page is the same guide, written out, if you'd rather do it yourself.
Hi! Please be my patient guide for this step-by-step guide from Receipts Group: "How to keep an AI fake of your kid from getting your money"
The guide is here: https://receiptsgroup.com/guides/family-safe-word (open it if you can; if you can't, everything you need is below).
About me: I run a small business and I'm not technical. Use plain words and short sentences.
My goal: set up a family safe word and a call-back rule, and know exactly what to say and do in the first minute of a "send money now" call from someone who sounds like my kid or another family member. The FTC says scammers can copy a voice from a short clip posted online, and the FBI says they use those clips to play a relative in a crisis and ask for money right away.
How to help me:
1. One step at a time. For each step, tell me in a sentence what it's for and exactly what to do (where to tap, what to say, who to tell). Then stop and wait until I say "done" or tell you what I see.
2. Ask before you assume anything about my family, my phone or my situation. One question at a time.
3. If you use a technical word, explain it in plain English the first time (like "voice cloning" or "caller ID spoofing").
4. Stop and check with me before anything that costs money, sends anything to real people (like a text to my family), or deletes anything.
5. Never ask me to type my actual safe word here, and don't suggest one for me to use. You can explain what makes a good one; I pick the real one myself, away from the computer.
6. Use only what I tell you or what's in this guide. Never make up numbers, names, results or quotes. If something's missing, ask me.
7. If I get stuck, or my phone looks different from what you expected, slow down and try another way.
The steps, from the guide:
Set up the safe word:
Step 1. Pick a word or phrase nobody would guess. Not a pet's name, your street, your team, a birthday, or anything you've ever posted online. Two odd words together works.
Step 2. Tell it to your family in person. Everyone who could get one of these calls: kids, spouse or partner, grandparents. Not by text, email or social media.
Step 3. Agree on the rule out loud: on any call asking for money or help in a hurry, the person asking for money has to say the word. You never say it first and you never give hints.
Step 4. Save the numbers you'll call back. On iPhone: open Contacts, tap Add, enter the name and phone number, then tap Done. On Android: open the Contacts app, tap Add at the bottom right, enter the name and phone number, then tap Save. Save every family member under their real name, plus one backup person for each kid (a roommate, partner or friend you can call if they don't pick up).
Step 5. Optional: shrink what scammers can copy. The FBI suggests limiting online content of your image or voice, making social media accounts private and limiting followers to people you know.
When the call comes:
Step 6. Slow down. "There's no time," "you're the only one who can help" and "don't tell anyone" are pressure, and pressure is the scam.
Step 7. Ask: "What's our safe word?" No hints.
Step 8. If they don't know it, dodge it, or push "there's no time": say "I'm going to hang up and call you right back," and hang up.
Step 9. Call back from your Contacts, on the number you saved. Not redial, and not a number the caller gives you. Caller ID can be faked, so a familiar name on the screen proves nothing.
Step 10. If you can't reach them, call another family member or their backup person, even if the caller said to keep it secret.
Step 11. No money on that call. Gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency and payment apps are the FTC's red flags.
Step 12. If it was a scam, report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If money went out, also file at ic3.gov (the FBI), and call the company you paid through right away.
First test (free): a practice call. Someone in the family pretends to be the scared caller ("Hey, it's me, I'm in trouble, I need money right now, there's no time"). The person answering has to ask for the word, hang up, and call back from Contacts. Then switch roles.
When we get to it, use "The text to send your family" from the guide (it has no safe word in it, and I'll check it before anything is sent):
---
Quick family thing: AI can copy a voice from a short video now, and scammers use it to fake a call from family asking for money. So we're setting up a family safe word. I'll tell you what it is in person, not over text. If you ever get a call from "me" asking for money in a hurry, ask for the word. If I don't know it, hang up and call me back on my real number.
---
Watch out for these:
- Saying the word first, or giving a hint ("is it the dog?"). The caller has to say it.
- Calling back the number that just called, or one the caller gives you. Use the number you saved.
- Trusting caller ID. Scammers can make any name or number show up.
- Sending the word by text, email or a post.
- Paying "just to be safe" while you try to reach them.
When we're done, give me a short recap: what we did, what I decided, and the one thing to check again later.
Start by asking me a few quick questions about my family and my phone, one at a time. Then begin with step 1.The first minute of the call, at a glance
This is the manual way: every step, written out. The prompt above follows it too.
- 1The call“Hey, it's me, I'm in trouble, I need money right now”→ pressure: no time, keep it secret
- 2The questionYou: “What's our safe word?” (no hints)→ the word, or anything else
- 3The hang-up“I'm going to hang up and call you right back”→ nothing sent, nothing said
- 4The call-backYour Contacts app, the number you saved→ the real person, or no answer
- 5The backupAnother family member or their backup person→ the story checked
No money goes out until you've talked to them yourself. If it was a scam: ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and ic3.gov if money already went out.
Words you'll see
- Voice cloning: software that copies how someone sounds from a recording of them talking, then says anything in that voice.
- Safe word: a word or phrase only your family knows. The FBI's advice is to “create a secret word or phrase with your family to verify their identity.”
- Caller ID spoofing: faking the name or number that shows up on your screen. The FTC says scammers can make any name or number show up.
Set up the safe word
Pick a word nobody would guess
I'd pick something that isn't anywhere online: not the dog's name, not your street, your team, a birthday, or anything you've ever posted. Scammers read your profiles too. Two odd words together works, and it's easy to remember.
Example (made up, don't use it): “purple gutter.”
Tell your family in person
Everybody who could get one of these calls: your kids, your spouse or partner, grandparents. Say it at the kitchen table or in the truck, not by text, email or a post. The whole point is it lives nowhere a scammer can read it.
Kid away at school? Tell them on a call you make to their saved number, not one they make to you.
Agree on the rule out loud
Any call asking for money or help in a hurry, the person asking has to say the word. You never say it first and you never give a hint (“is it the dog thing?”). And it works both ways: your kid can ask you for it too.
Change it when it's been used
If the word gets said out loud on a call, or you think somebody outside the family heard it, pick a new one and tell everyone in person again.
Save the numbers you'll call back
The call-back only works if you're calling a number you already had, not one the caller gives you. The FTC's advice is to call the person “at a number you know is theirs,” and if you can't reach them, to try another family member or their friends. So save both now, while nothing's on fire.
On iPhone: add a contact
WhereContacts app → Add → name and phone number → DoneGo to the Contacts app, tap the Add button, enter the name and phone number, then tap Done.
On Android: add a contact
WhereContacts app → Add (bottom right) → name and phone number → SaveOpen the Contacts app, tap Add at the bottom right, enter the name and phone number, then tap Save.
Save every family member, plus a backup for each kid
Every kid, your partner, the grandparents, under their real names. Then one backup person for each kid you'd call if they don't pick up: a roommate, a partner, a friend, a friend's parent. Ask your kid for those numbers now, not during the call.
Optional: give scammers less to copy
The FBI's list also says to limit online content of your image or voice, make social media accounts private, and limit followers to people you know. I'm not going to tell your teenager to stop posting, because that's not happening. The safe word is the part that actually protects you. But if anyone in the family is up for it, a private account means a stranger can't pull their voice off it.
When the call comes: the first minute
Slow down
The FTC says these scammers make it urgent, say you're the only one who can help, and ask you to keep it secret. “There's no time” is the scam. You've got time to ask one question.
Ask for the word, no hints
“What's our safe word?” That's it. If they're your kid, they know it.
No word, wrong word, or “there's no time”: hang up
Say you'll call right back and hang up. Don't argue, don't explain why, don't stay on the line to see what they say next.
YOU: "What's our safe word?" They say it right: keep talking, but if anything still feels off, you can still hang up and call back. Anything else (wrong word, no word, "there's no time", "just send it", "don't tell anyone"): YOU: "I'm going to hang up and call you right back." Then hang up. Don't argue, don't explain, don't stay on the line.Call back from your Contacts
Open Contacts and call the number you saved. Not redial, and not a number the caller gave you. Caller ID can be faked, so your kid's name on the screen proves nothing.
Can't reach them? Call the backup
Call another family member or their backup person to check the story, even if the caller said to keep it secret. The FTC says to do exactly that.
No money on that call
Not “just to be safe,” not while you try to reach them. The FTC's red flags are wire transfers, cryptocurrency, payment apps and gift cards (reading off the numbers on the back), because that money is hard to get back.
If it was a scam, report it
Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If money went out, also file with the FBI at ic3.gov. Write down while it's fresh: the number that called, the date and time, what they asked for, and how they wanted to be paid.
First test: a practice call (free)
Do this the same day you pick the word. One person reads the caller's lines, the other answers like it's real. It's a little goofy, and that's fine, because the goal is that nobody freezes when it's not a drill.
PRACTICE CALL (free, 5 minutes, everyone in the room)
Caller reads:
"Hey, it's me. I'm in trouble, I need money right now.
There's no time, just send it."
The person answering has to:
1. Ask: "What's our safe word?"
2. Not give a hint.
3. Say: "I'm going to hang up and call you right back."
4. Hang up, open Contacts, and call the saved number.
Then switch: the kids answer, a parent plays the caller.
Run it once more with the caller saying:
"I'm on a friend's phone, mine's broken."
(Right answer: still call the number you saved, then a backup person.)Good: they ask for the word with no hint, hang up, and call the saved number from Contacts. Bad: they give a hint, keep talking to argue, or call back the number that just called. Run it again until it's boring.
Copy and use
The text tells your family what's coming. The safe word is not in it, on purpose: you tell them that part in person.
Quick family thing: AI can copy a voice from a short video now, and scammers use it to fake a call from family asking for money. So we're setting up a family safe word. I'll tell you what it is in person, not over text. If you ever get a call from "me" asking for money in a hurry, ask for the word. If I don't know it, hang up and call me back on my real number.The card goes on the fridge, or by the phone of whoever in the family answers every call. Fill in the backup names. The word never goes on it.
OUR FAMILY CALL RULE
1. Anyone asking for money in a hurry
has to say our safe word.
2. We never say the word first.
No hints.
3. No word, wrong word, or "there's no time":
"I'm going to hang up and call you right back."
4. Call back from Contacts, on the saved number.
Not redial. Not a number they give you.
5. Can't reach them? Call:
____________________ (backup person)
____________________ (backup person)
6. No money on that call. No gift cards,
wire transfers, crypto or payment apps.
(The word itself never goes on this card.)What it costs
| What | Cost | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| The safe word | $0 | One family conversation |
| Saving the numbers | $0 | The Contacts app that comes with iPhone and Android |
| The call-back | $0 extra | A normal call on your phone plan |
| Total | $0 | No app, no subscription |
When it breaks
The caller ID shows your kid's name or number
“I'm on a friend's phone, mine's broken”
A “lawyer,” “officer” or “doctor” gets on the line
“Don't tell Mom” or “don't tell anyone”
Somebody in the family forgot the word
The caller knew the word
You can't reach your kid or anyone else
You already sent money
The word beats the voice
A copied voice can sound exactly like your kid, but it can't know the word. Ask for it, hang up, call back on the number you saved, and that “there's no time” line turns into your cue to hang up.
Checked on Oct 31, 2026 against
Every claim about a third-party tool in this guide (plans, prices, menu paths, commands, limits) was checked against these official pages on Oct 31, 2026. These screens change often: if something looks different, trust the page over this guide.
- FBI IC3: Criminals Use Generative AI to Facilitate Financial Fraud (I-120324-PSA)AI audio clips of a loved one in a crisis asking for money; create a secret word or phrase with your family; limit online content of your voice; hang up and call directly; report at ic3.gov and what to include.
- FTC Consumer Alert: Scammers use AI to enhance their family emergency schemesA voice cloned from a short clip posted online; don't trust the voice; call at a number you know is theirs; try another family member or friends; wire, crypto and gift cards as red flags.
- FTC: Scammers use fake emergencies to steal your moneyUrgency, “you're the only one who can help,” secrecy, fake lawyers, officers and doctors; ask a question only the real person would know; report to the FTC and your state attorney general.
- FTC: What to do if you were scammedWho to call by payment type: gift card issuer, wire company, payment app or bank, crypto exchange.
- FTC: Phone scamsScammers can make any name or number show up on your caller ID (spoofing).
- Apple Support: Add and use contact information on iPhoneCreate a contact: Contacts app, tap Add, enter name and phone number, tap Done.
- Google Contacts Help: Add a contact (Android)Contacts app, tap Add at the bottom right, enter name and phone number, tap Save.
Questions people ask about this
