A phone call, a familiar voice, real panic: “Mum, I’ve been in an accident, I need money now.” AI can now copy someone’s voice from a few seconds of audio taken from a video or voicemail, and scammers use it to fake emergencies. A family safe word is the simplest defence: a secret phrase that a real family member knows and a scammer can’t. Generate one below, agree it in person, and print a card for anyone who might forget it.
Your family safe word
If a call or message feels wrong
- Hang up, even if the voice sounds exactly like them and they're crying or panicking.
- Call them back on the number you already have saved, not the one that called you.
- Ask for the safe word. No safe word, no money, no codes, no gift cards.
Prefer a question for older relatives?
Some people find a question easier than a phrase: something only your family knows the answer to, that has never been posted online.
Runs in your browser. The phrase is created on your device and never sent or stored — not even by us.
Password & Username GeneratorWhy a safe word works
Voice-clone scams work by rushing you. The caller sounds like your child, partner or parent, says they’re in trouble (an accident, an arrest, a kidnapping, a lost phone), and asks for money right now by bank transfer, gift cards or crypto. Sometimes a second voice takes over, pretending to be a lawyer, police officer or kidnapper. Fear stops you thinking, and that’s the point.
A safe word gives you something to do. However real the voice sounds, if they can’t give the word, you hang up and call them back on the number you already have. The FBI has advised families to agree a secret word or phrase for exactly this reason. It costs nothing and takes five minutes.
What makes a good safe word
- Random, not personal. Pet names, street names, birthdays and schools are all on social media, and scammers research their targets. That’s why this tool picks words at random.
- Easy to say under stress. Short, ordinary words that can’t be misheard. Tick “Easy to say” for younger children or older relatives.
- Never written in messages. Agree it face to face. If it’s in a text or a family chat, anyone who gets into one of those accounts has it too.
- Changed when used. Once the word has been said on a call, even a real one, pick a new one.
How to set it up with your family
- Generate a phrase here, then close this page. It isn’t saved anywhere.
- Tell everyone in person, including grandparents and anyone who might be targeted, such as a carer or babysitter.
- Agree the rule together: any call or message asking for money, codes or secrecy needs the safe word, whoever it sounds like.
- Print the wallet cards for anyone who might forget. Tick “Leave the phrase off the printed card” if you’d rather write it in by hand.
- Practise once. It feels silly, but it makes it automatic when you’re frightened.
If you get a call like this
Hang up, even mid-sentence. Call the person back on the number saved in your phone, or ring someone who’s with them. Don’t send money, gift card codes or crypto, and don’t share one-time passcodes. If you’ve already paid, contact your bank immediately and report it: in the US to the FBI’s IC3, in the UK to Report Fraud (which replaced Action Fraud), elsewhere to your local police. More on how these schemes work in our identity theft guide.
Family safe word FAQ
What is a family safe word?
A secret word or phrase shared only within your family, used to confirm that a caller really is who they sound like. If someone calls in a panic asking for money and can't give the safe word, you hang up and call them back on a number you already know.
Can AI really copy my family member's voice?
Yes. Voice-cloning tools can imitate a voice from a short clip, such as a social media video or a voicemail greeting. The copy doesn't need to be perfect: on a bad line, with crying or background noise, people hear what they expect to hear.
Is the safe word stored anywhere?
No. It's generated in your browser with its secure random number generator and isn't sent to us or saved. Close the page and it's gone. That's also why there's no copy button: share it face to face, not by message.
Why shouldn't I choose my own word?
People pick things that mean something to them, like a pet, a street or a favourite team, and those are exactly the details scammers find on social media. A random phrase has no link to you.
What if my parent or grandparent won't remember it?
Print a wallet card for them and keep it by the phone, or use the question option: something only your family knows that has never been posted online. Agree the exact answer together, in person.
How often should we change it?
Whenever it has been used on a call (even a genuine one), if you think someone outside the family may have heard it, and otherwise once a year is plenty.