What you will prepare
Result: A short family contact plan and a routine for checking an unexpected request through an independent channel.
- Level
- Beginner planning
- Time
- About 10 minutes to write the contact plan; any real incident needs its own response
- Device
- Phone, tablet or computer for reading and notes
- Tools
- Paper or a private note and contact details you already trust. No AI account, detector, upload or paid feature is needed.
Before you begin: Practise with an invented situation. A familiar voice or reassuring AI answer does not authenticate a request.
Times are planning estimates, not measured reader results. About this October 20, 2026 presentation update.
A familiar voice or a convincing message can still be part of a scam. AI adds another way to impersonate someone, but you do not need to identify the technology before taking sensible precautions.
This guide gives you a simple response routine: pause, contact the person or organization independently, and protect your accounts. It is useful at any age and does not promise that any app can make you scam-proof.
Pause when someone creates urgency
Be cautious when an unexpected caller demands immediate payment, asks for secrecy, or insists on gift cards or cryptocurrency. Those are warning signs in the FTC’s guidance on fake family emergencies.
Some scammers can imitate a relative’s voice using AI. Sounding familiar does not establish who is calling.
Verify through a separate contact
- End the unexpected call or conversation before making a payment.
- Contact the person using a number you already trust. Do not use a replacement number supplied by the caller.
- If you cannot reach them, check with another trusted family member or friend.
The FTC recommends independent contact rather than relying on the voice itself. Make this a family habit in advance, so asking to call back feels normal.
Make a small family contact plan
Write a short contact list and keep it somewhere you can reach without searching through the suspicious message. Choose two people you can ask for a second opinion.
You might agree on this sentence: “If a request surprises me, I will check through another channel before I act.” Practice with a made-up situation when everyone is calm.
If you help a parent or another relative, use a calm tone. A person who feels embarrassed may find it harder to ask for help. Make it easy to say, “I’m not sure this message is real.”
Protect your accounts if information was shared
If you gave someone an account password, change it through the service’s genuine website or app and enable two-factor authentication. Change it on other accounts where you reused it. Follow the service’s account-recovery steps if you cannot sign in.
If you gave someone remote access to a device, follow the FTC’s recovery guidance, including checking the device for malicious software and getting help from a source you trust.
If you already sent money
Contact your bank, card issuer, payment service, or other payment provider immediately. Explain that you suspect a scam and ask whether the payment can be stopped or reversed. Recovery is not guaranteed.
In the United States, you can report fraud at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FTC’s recovery guide gives steps for different payment methods and information exposures. Elsewhere, use your local consumer-protection or law-enforcement reporting service.
A checklist to keep nearby
- Am I being pushed to act before I can check?
- Can I contact the person through a number I already trust?
- Who can help me take a second look?
- If I have already shared money or information, which provider should I contact now?
Start with that routine. You can use it even when you are unsure whether a message involves AI.
Reviewed October 2, 2026.
AI disclosure: This article was drafted and revised using AI. Read our full disclaimer.