Got a panicked call from your child asking for money?
Scammers can copy someone's voice with AI from just a few seconds of a video posted online. They call a parent or grandparent sounding like their child, crying and asking for money right now. Here's how to spot it, and how a family safe word stops it.
What this scam usually looks like
Red flags
- Panic and urgency: an accident, arrest or emergency, and money needed right now
- “Don't tell Mum/Dad” or other requests for secrecy
- Payment to someone else's account, gift cards or crypto
- The voice sounds right, but the call came out of nowhere and they won't let you call back
What to do
- Ask for your family safe word. If they can't say it, hang up.
- Call them back on the number you already have saved, not the one that called you.
- Don't send money while you're on the call, however upset they sound.
- If you've lost money, call your bank straight away, then report it to Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud) at reportfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040.
Questions
How do I pick a family safe word?
Choose a short, random word or phrase that's easy to remember but isn't online: not a pet's name, birthday or anything on social media. Agree it face to face and don't text it.
How common is this?
In a 2024 survey for Starling Bank, 28% of UK adults said they thought they'd been targeted by an AI voice cloning scam in the past year, and 46% had never heard of it.
Can they really copy a voice that easily?
Yes. Starling Bank warns that a voice can be copied from as little as three seconds of audio, often taken from videos people post online.
We're building KinAlert for families: they forward anything odd to one WhatsApp number, and you get a text if it's a scam. Join the waitlist (coming soon).