AI Safety
Free, plain steps to keep you and your family safe from AI scams. Checked against FBI, FTC, FCC and CISA advice.
Happening right now?
- On a scary call: hang up and call back on a number saved in your phone.
- Already sent money: contact your bank or payment app now, then report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov.
Start here: the 6 free steps
These six steps are free, take a few minutes each, and come from the FBI, the FTC, CISA and the Postal Inspection Service. They work against AI voice clones and fake texts the same way they work against the old scams: slow down, and check through a route you already trust.
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Pick a family code word
Agree on a secret word or phrase with your family, in person, so anyone can check a panicked call is really you. Don't post it or write it anywhere online. It also helps to keep your social accounts private and share less video and audio of your voice publicly.
About 10 minutes
Sources: FBI IC3 (Dec 3, 2024), FCC (updated Apr 24, 2026). Checked Nov 3, 2026.
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Hang up and call back on a number you already have
If a call or message says someone you love is in trouble, or your bank says your money is at risk, don't trust the voice. Hang up and call back on a number saved in your phone or printed on your card, never one the caller gives you. If you can't reach them, check with another family member or their friends. A caller who wants payment by wire, crypto or gift cards is a sign of a scam.
For a business: confirm any payment request or new bank details in person or by calling, on a number you looked up yourself, not one in the email. Be extra careful when someone pushes you to pay fast.
About 2 minutes
Sources: FBI IC3 (Dec 3, 2024), FTC (Mar 20, 2023), FCC (updated Apr 24, 2026), FBI. Checked Nov 3, 2026.
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Don't tap links in delivery or toll texts
A text about a missed package, unpaid postage or a toll with a link is a common scam. Don't tap it or reply. Look up your order on the store's site or app where you bought it, or type the carrier's address yourself. Then report the text with your phone's "report junk" option or forward it to 7726.
About 1 minute
Sources: US Postal Inspection Service, FTC (Apr 23, 2025). Checked Nov 3, 2026.
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Turn on two-step login
In each important account (email first, then bank, shopping and social media), open Settings, then Security, and turn on two-step login. It may be called multifactor, two-factor or two-step. An authenticator app is one option; a text code is another. Even if someone steals your password, they still can't get in without the second step.
About 5 minutes per account
Source: CISA. Checked Nov 3, 2026.
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Use a password manager (free ones count)
Let a password manager make and remember a long, different password for every account, so one leak doesn't open the rest. The one built into your web browser or phone is free. You only remember one strong passphrase for the manager itself.
About 15 minutes to start
Source: CISA. Checked Nov 3, 2026.
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Freeze your credit and check your free reports
A credit freeze stops anyone from opening new credit in your name. It's free to place and lift, and it doesn't affect your credit score. Contact each of the three bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Lift it for a day when you apply for credit yourself. You can also check your credit reports for free every week at AnnualCreditReport.com.
About 15 minutes for all three
Sources: FTC (Aug 2025), IdentityTheft.gov. Checked Nov 3, 2026.
Last checked Nov 3, 2026
Safety prompts
Try it: Our family code word plan
Set up a family code word against voice-clone calls, with a teaching script for each group and a one-page printout.
Copy and paste
FILL THIS IN (then copy everything into your AI chat)
Who I'll teach it to (the people who need the plan, like grandparents, kids or both): grandparents, kids
(Don't write your code word anywhere in this prompt.)
--- Don't change anything below this line ---
You are a calm family safety coach. Help me set up a family code word plan against fake emergency calls that use a copied voice, one the people in "Who I'll teach it to" will actually remember and use. Do NOT ask me for our actual code word. Don't suggest example code words or example backup questions; I'll pick my own.
Give me:
1) 5 rules for picking a good code word (easy to remember, hard to guess, not a pet's name or anything on social media).
2) A short script for teaching it in person, written separately for each group in "Who I'll teach it to", in words that fit that group. Under 100 words each.
3) If someone forgets the word under stress: how to pick one backup question only real family could answer (don't suggest one), and the rule that it's still fine to hang up and call back.
4) What to do if a call feels off, as 4 short steps: don't send money, gift cards or codes; hang up; call back on a number already saved in my phone; tell the family.
5) A 2-minute practice drill we can run in a few months so nobody forgets, and how to change the word if it ever gets shared.
6) A one-page plan I can print, with blanks for the people to call back and their saved numbers. Keep the code word and the backup answer off the printed page; they're memorized, never written down.
Keep it calm and simple. No scam statistics. Stop after part 6; don't offer extra files or follow-ups.
Safety guides
Tools we're checking
We are still checking tools in these areas. Nothing here is reviewed yet.
Identity theft protection
Services that watch your accounts and help you recover if someone steals your identity.
VPNs
Tools that encrypt your connection on shared or public networks.
Password managers
Apps that create and store strong, unique passwords so you do not reuse them.
Data broker removal
Services that get your personal details taken down from people-search sites.
Scam and deepfake checks
Ways to check whether a message, call or video is real before you act on it.
How we check
We only use government and official sources (FBI, FTC, FCC, CISA, USPIS), we re-open them monthly, and we test the prompts before they go up.
Every Friday