Family code word card
AI can copy a face and a voice. It cannot copy what your family remembers. Agree one question only your household can answer, then agree the rule: two questions and a callback — ask the code word, ask one small recent thing, then hang up and call back on the number you already had. Print a card; one per person. Nothing is uploaded, and the answer is never written into the link.
Family code word ·
- Two questions. Ask the code word, then ask one small recent thing ("what did we eat on Sunday?").
- One callback. Answered or not, hang up and call the number above. Not the number that called you.
- Three nevers. Never say the answer first. Never skip the callback because it is urgent. Never send money, codes or gift cards before both questions and the callback are done.
If money has already moved: call your bank now, then report (US: ic3.gov and reportfraud.ftc.gov; EU/UK: your national police or fraud reporting service).
This page stores nothing: refresh and it is gone, and none of it is in the URL. Print it, keep it somewhere fixed at home, and hand-write a copy for anyone who does not use a smartphone.
Three rules for choosing one
| Rule | Why |
|---|---|
| Not findable online | Birthdays, schools, pet names and anniversaries can be assembled from social media, and whoever cloned the voice has usually done that homework first |
| Everyone in the family knows it; nobody outside does | Shared household memories work best — the tree in the old garden, which floor the first flat was on, the name of the car |
| Short and sayable | It has to come out under adrenaline. Long phrases and numbers get fumbled exactly when it matters |
A family code word plus callback verification is the defence public safety agencies actually recommend, because it does not depend on hearing the difference. Why "spot the fake" advice fails is set out in Can you tell an AI voice clone by ear?