"It's Me, I Need Help!" — Is It Really Your Loved One on the Phone?

It’s one of the most serious and terrifying scams of our time. Criminals are now using AI to perfectly mimic the voices of your loved ones, creating a fake emergency to trick you out of your money. They rely on one thing: targeting your emotions and creating a sense of urgency.

Here’s what you need to know to protect yourself.

The Scam: An Emergency Call

You receive a phone call, and you hear the voice of your child, parent, or spouse. They sound exactly like themselves, but they’re in trouble and need money right away. How can you be sure it's them?

The Solution: What You Can Do in the Moment

Before you do anything else, take these two steps to verify the situation.

* FIRST: If you suspect it is a scam (this takes nuance as we don’t want to be hanging up during a real emergency). Hang up and call them directly on the phone number you have saved for them. If it was a scam, the real person will be safe and unaware of the call you just received.

* SECOND: Use a family code word. The best defense is a good offense. Agree on a secret "code word" with your loved ones. It can be a silly or random word that only you know. In a stressful situation, ask for the code word to confirm you are speaking to the right person. If they can't provide it, it's a scam.

The Bigger Picture: A Call to Our Leaders

If you are in a position of influence in your community, on a local board, or in government, please take action. We need to have a serious discussion about this threat. We must raise awareness, educate our neighbors, and establish a clear, streamlined process for reporting these crimes to the authorities. The use of someone's stolen likeness—whether audio or video—is a form of evil that we must be able to fight effectively.

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