Safe word
Also called safe phrase, family code word, family password
A word or phrase agreed in person with family or close colleagues, used to check a caller is really them.
A cloned voice can copy how someone sounds. It can't know something that was never recorded. That's the whole idea of a safe word: a phrase only your family knows, agreed out loud, that a real relative can give in a second and a scammer can't.
It became practical advice because of AI. Voice cloning made "I'd know my own child's voice" unreliable, so agencies such as the FBI started recommending a secret word for families.
It works best as a habit, not a test you spring in a crisis: everyone knows it, everyone knows they'll be asked, and nobody is offended. Pair it with the simplest check of all, calling back on the number you already have.
For example
"Mum, it's me, I've lost my phone and need money." "What's our word?" The line goes quiet.
Put it to use
Where you'll meet safe word in ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude, how to use it there, and the mix-up most people make.
Daily Bytes Plus is in the Android app.