Protect yourself and your family from AI scams

Pay attention to what you are being asked to do.

Warning signs include pressure to act immediately, keep something secret, transfer money, share a security code or install software.

A familiar voice or professional-looking message does not remove the need to check.

You can say: “I’m going to check this separately before I do anything.”

You do not need to argue with the caller or explain why you are suspicious.

End the conversation and contact the person or organisation independently.

For a family member, use their usual saved number. Do not rely on a new number supplied in the suspicious message. If you cannot reach them, try another trusted person who may know where they are.

For a bank or organisation, use its official app, a number on your card or statement, or a website address you already know.

Do not use the number or link provided by the person making the suspicious request. Caller ID can be copied, so a familiar number on the screen is not proof of identity.

If checking a suspicious landline call, use a different phone where possible.

If you believe someone is in immediate danger, contact the emergency services independently rather than sending money to an unverified caller.

Choose a phrase with close family members that you can use as an additional check during an unusual or urgent call.

Agree it privately. Avoid something obvious from social media, such as a pet’s name, birthday or favourite football team.

Do not post it online or enter it into this guide. If it becomes known outside the group, change it.

A phrase is an extra precaution, not a guarantee. Even if someone knows it, independently check an unusual payment request. If someone forgets it, use another trusted route to establish what is happening.

A realistic video, voice note, profile picture or celebrity endorsement is not enough to establish that an offer or person is genuine.

Do not rely on spotting strange hands, unnatural blinking, a robotic voice or spelling mistakes. Their absence does not make something trustworthy.

Check an offer independently before paying. For financial offers, go directly to the Financial Conduct Authority’s official website and use its consumer checking guidance. Do not assume a firm is genuine simply because someone gives you a real firm’s name.

Be cautious about requests for money from someone you have only met online, even after lengthy conversations or video calls.

Do not give an unexpected caller your password, PIN or one-time security code. Do not approve a sign-in or payment notification because someone on a call tells you to.

Do not install remote-access software at the request of an unexpected caller.

Use different passwords for important accounts and enable two-step verification where available.

Review who can see your social media posts, recordings and personal information. Details about relatives, routines and events can help someone make a false story more convincing.

Reducing public information can help, but keeping everything private cannot guarantee that nobody will impersonate you.

Agree who family members can contact before responding to an unusual request.

Tell children and relatives that checking with someone is sensible, even when the message sounds convincing or they have already clicked something.

Avoid blame. Embarrassment can delay someone getting help.

Practise one simple example together: “If someone sounds like me and asks you to send money urgently, what will you do?”

The aim is a shared checking habit, not a test of who can spot a fake.