Pause before acting
Replace pressure and assumptions with a clear, repeatable next step.
FAMILY SAFETY GUIDE
AI Scam Defence for Families
A practical family guide to recognizing and responding to AI-enabled scams
By Rebecca Tolland · Published by Mercer Lane Press
A practical guide for families who want to recognize AI-enabled impersonation and fraud, slow down high-pressure requests, verify what is real, and respond safely.
WHO IT IS FOR
A shared plan for suspicious requests
Families who want a shared, practical plan for handling suspicious calls, messages, images, videos, and payment requests without relying on guesswork.
- Urgent messages that appear to come from a relative or trusted organization
- Voice, image, and video impersonation made more convincing with AI
- Uncertainty about how to verify a request without alerting or assisting a scammer
PRACTICAL DEFENCES
What readers can put into practice
Verify on a separate channel
Replace pressure and assumptions with a clear, repeatable next step.
Protect accounts and personal information
Replace pressure and assumptions with a clear, repeatable next step.
Create a family response plan
Replace pressure and assumptions with a clear, repeatable next step.
Preserve evidence
Replace pressure and assumptions with a clear, repeatable next step.
Report and recover
Replace pressure and assumptions with a clear, repeatable next step.
If money or an account may already be at risk: contact the relevant bank, payment service, or account provider through its official channel immediately. For threats or immediate danger, contact local emergency services.
Start with preparation, not panic
AI can make an impersonation more convincing, but the safest response does not depend on perfectly detecting generated media. A pause, a separate trusted contact route, and firm family rules for payments and security codes can interrupt the scammer's script.
Use the free AI scam defence guides to begin building that routine.
SEARCH BY THE PROBLEM
Recognise AI voice scams and deepfake impersonation before acting
AI voice-clone scams, deepfake scams and urgent family-impersonation messages exploit speed and emotion. The guide focuses on pausing, verifying through a separate channel and protecting money, accounts and evidence when a request may be fake.
Questions this guide is designed to help with
- How can you tell if an AI voice call is a scam?
- What should a family do if a relative appears to ask for urgent money?
- How do you verify a suspicious voice, image or video message?