Family emergency scam
Also called grandparent scam, Hi Mum scam, distress scam
A call or message that seems to come from a relative in trouble, asking for money urgently and often for secrecy.
The family emergency scam is old: a call to a grandparent from "your grandson" who's in trouble and needs money now. What's new is that the voice can actually be his. Voice cloning tools need only a short clip, the kind that sits in any public video, and the FBI now records losses from distress scams that use cloned voices.
The script is built to stop you thinking. There's an accident, an arrest or a stranded trip; there's a stranger (a lawyer, a police officer) who takes over the call; and there's a plea for secrecy, so you won't ring anyone who could tell you it's fake.
So the check has to be one you can do while upset. Hang up, call the person on the number you have, or ask a question only they could answer.
For example
A sobbing voice that sounds exactly like your grandson says he's been arrested and needs bail money, and begs you not to tell his parents.
Put it to use
Where you'll meet family emergency scam in ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude, how to use it there, and the mix-up most people make.
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