Why this matters
Voice-cloning tools have made an old trick more convincing. The FTC explains that a scammer "could use AI to clone the voice of your loved one. All he needs is a short audio clip of your family member's voice — which he could get from content posted online — and a voice-cloning program." 2 The FBI describes criminals using short AI-generated clips "to impersonate a close relative in a crisis situation, asking for immediate financial assistance or demanding a ransom." 3
The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reported that "in 2025, IC3 received more than 22,000 complaints reporting AI-related information. Adjusted losses of these complaints exceed $893 million." 6 These figures cover reported complaints that mention AI. The same report says "victims claimed losses over $5 million in 2025 to distress scams," where voice cloning is used to mimic a loved one in distress. 6
The good news: you don't need to be technical to protect yourself. The habits below are simple, and most are quick to set up.
Way 1: Agree on a family safe word or phrase
The FBI recommends you "create a secret word or phrase with your family to verify their identity." 3 If someone calls in a panic asking for money, ask for the word. A scammer using a cloned voice shouldn't know it. Choose something that isn't on social media, and don't post it or write it anywhere public.
An AI assistant can help you set this up without ever seeing the word itself:
Help me make a family verification plan for scam calls. We are [number] adults and [number] kids/teens, plus [grandparents]. Include: how to choose a safe word that isn't on social media, who calls whom to double-check, and a one-page script to keep by the phone. Don't suggest the word itself.
Way 2: Hang up and call back on a number you already know
The FTC's advice is short and memorable: "Don't trust the voice. Call the person who supposedly contacted you and verify the story. Use a phone number you know is theirs." 2 The FBI says the same about banks and organizations: hang up, look up the contact yourself, "and call the phone number directly." 3 Keep in mind that caller ID can be faked. The FCC notes that "spoofing tricks Caller ID into showing a 'local' number." 4
A short script can make this feel natural for an older relative:
Write a short, calm script my [parent] can read if they get a call from 'me' asking for money: ask for the safe word, hang up, call me back on my saved number.
Way 3: Can't reach them? Check through someone else
If the person doesn't pick up, that's not proof of an emergency. The FTC suggests: "If you can't reach your loved one, try to get in touch with them through another family member or their friends." 2
Way 4: Never pay in ways that can't be reversed
Requests for wire transfers, cryptocurrency or gift cards are a classic warning sign. The FTC puts it plainly: "If the caller says to wire money, send cryptocurrency, or buy gift cards and give them the card numbers and PINs, those could be signs of a scam." 2 The FBI adds: "Do not send money, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or other assets to people you do not know or have met only online or over the phone." 3 Pressure to act right now is another signal. The FCC advises: "Always proceed with caution when a caller is pressuring you for information or money immediately." 4
If a message feels off, an assistant can help you slow down and think it through:
Here's a message I received (names and numbers removed): [paste]. List any pressure tactics or red flags, and tell me what I should verify with a real person before doing anything. Don't tell me whether it is real; you can't know that.
Way 5: Limit public clips of your voice and face
Because scammers can work from content posted online, it helps to be a little choosier about what's public. The FBI suggests: "If possible, limit online content of your image or voice, make social media accounts private, and limit followers to people you know…" 3 You don't have to stop sharing. Just check who can see your videos and voice notes.
Way 6: Don't share sensitive information on unexpected calls
The FCC's advice: "Never give out personal information such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, mother's maiden names, passwords or other identifying information in response to unexpected calls…" 4 The FBI agrees: "Never share sensitive information with people you have met only online or over the phone." 3
The FBI also mentions clues worth noticing, such as unusual "tone and word choice" on a call, or video glitches like "distorted hands or feet, unrealistic teeth or eyes, … lag time, voice matching, and unrealistic movements." 3 Treat these as hints to slow down, not as a reliable test. The FBI's own assessment is that "AI-enabled synthetic content is becoming increasingly difficult to detect and easier to make." 6 That's why verifying with the real person matters most.
Way 7: Use call-blocking tools and the Do Not Call list
Call-blocking tools can screen out many unwanted calls. The FCC recommends you "talk to your phone company about call blocking tools" and, to block telemarketing calls, "register your number on the Do Not Call List." 4 You can register at donotcall.gov. Legitimate telemarketers honor the list; scammers don't, so it won't stop scam calls on its own.
Way 8: Know the law is on your side
In February 2024 the FCC confirmed that the Telephone Consumer Protection Act's rules for "artificial or prerecorded voice" calls cover "current AI technologies that generate human voices." 5 In practice, robocalls that use an AI voice generally need your prior consent (with limited exceptions such as emergencies). The FCC's announcement put it more bluntly: the ruling "makes voice cloning technology used in common robocall scams targeting consumers illegal." 7 That means the scam calls, not voice-cloning technology itself. If you get an unwanted one, you can file a complaint with the FCC. 4
Way 9: Set up a simple verification process at work
The FTC notes that if a call "sounds like your boss (asking for bank account numbers)… you're more likely to act." 1 The FBI's 2025 report also notes that "voice cloning can also be used to request wire payment." 6 Our own suggestion, not an agency rule: any urgent payment request by phone, voice note or video should get a callback to the number on file and a second approver. It's a small step that protects everyone, including the person being impersonated.
Draft a one-page callback policy for a small team: any urgent payment request by phone, voice note or video needs a callback to the number on file and a second approver.
Way 10: Report it, even if you didn't lose money
You can report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov 12 and to the FBI at www.ic3.gov, including "how contact was initiated… how you were told or instructed to make payment." 3 If you're 60 or older, the DOJ National Elder Fraud Hotline is 833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311), Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET. 8 For identity theft, go to IdentityTheft.gov. 9 If money left a bank account, call your bank right away using the number on your card or statement, not one a caller gave you.
If you're unsure where to start, an assistant can help you make a plan:
I think I was scammed. List, in order, what I should do in the next hour and the next day, and which official sites to report to in the US (FTC, FBI IC3, my bank). Remind me not to share account numbers here.
Wrap-up
Voice scams work by rushing you. The quick check is to pause, ask for the safe word, and call back on a number you already know. Share these habits with the people you care about, especially older relatives. These prompts can help:
Explain voice-cloning scams to a 75-year-old in plain words, in under 150 words, without scaring them. End with three things to do.
Turn this checklist into a printable fridge card with large text: [paste the 10 ways].
When you use any of these prompts, leave out real names, account numbers, phone numbers and your safe word.
Sources
- FTC Consumer Advice, "Fighting back against harmful voice cloning" (Apr 8, 2024): https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2024/04/fighting-back-against-harmful-voice-cloning
- FTC Consumer Advice, "Scammers use AI to enhance their family emergency schemes" (Mar 20, 2023): https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2023/03/scammers-use-ai-enhance-their-family-emergency-schemes
- FBI IC3, "Criminals Use Generative Artificial Intelligence to Facilitate Financial Fraud" (Alert I-120324-PSA, Dec 3, 2024): https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2024/PSA241203
- FCC, "Deep-Fake Audio and Video Links Make Robocalls and Scam Texts Harder to Spot" (last reviewed Jun 8, 2024): https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/deep-fake-audio-and-video-links-make-robocalls-and-scam-texts-harder-spot
- FCC, Declaratory Ruling FCC-24-17 (adopted Feb 2, released Feb 8, 2024): https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-24-17A1.pdf
- FBI IC3, 2025 IC3 Annual Report (AI section, pp. 39–41): https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2025_ic3report.pdf
- FCC news release, "FCC Makes AI-Generated Voices in Robocalls Illegal" (Feb 8, 2024): https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-makes-ai-generated-voices-robocalls-illegal
- DOJ Office for Victims of Crime, National Elder Fraud Hotline: https://ovc.ojp.gov/program/stop-elder-fraud/providing-help-restoring-hope
- FTC, IdentityTheft.gov: https://www.identitytheft.gov
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