The 30-second defense

Make a family safe word.

It's the one move that beats the voice-clone scam. Pick a word only your family knows. If a call from a "relative in trouble" can't say it, it isn't them.

Three to pick from

Why three? Even someone looking at this exact screen can't know which one your family picked.
Or make up your own. Just keep it off the internet, and skip names and birthdays.

How to use it

Pick one you'll all remember, then tell your family in person. Not by text, not by email. Out loud, once.
If anyone ever calls in a panic asking for money, ask them for the word before you do anything else.
No word, or the wrong word? Hang up and call that person back on the number you already have. The scam dies right there.

That's the whole thing. One word, shared once, and the most common voice scam going stops working on your family.

Get it in your inbox.

When there's a new scam going around, or a change that actually affects you, I write it up in plain English and tell you what to do about it. That's the whole thing.