The AI “grandparent scam” is here: a 3-step plan for Monmouth families

What Monmouth families should know

If you get a scary call that sounds exactly like your kid, your mom, or your best friend’s teenager — you’re not alone. Scammers are using AI “voice cloning” to make family-emergency scams feel real in the moment, and the point is to make you act fast before you can think.

The good news: you don’t need to become a tech expert to protect your household. You just need a simple, repeatable plan your whole family knows.

The 30-second pattern: how these calls usually go

Most “family emergency” scams follow the same script:

• Urgency: “Please don’t hang up.” “You have to help me right now.”
• Fear + confusion: an accident, arrest, medical emergency, or “I’m in trouble and can’t talk.”
• Secrecy: “Don’t tell Mom/Dad.” “Don’t call anyone.”
• A payment method that’s hard to reverse: wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or gift cards.

The FTC has warned that scammers can use a short audio clip (often pulled from something posted online) plus a voice-cloning program to sound like someone you love — so you can’t rely on “it sounded like them” anymore (FTC Consumer Advice).

“Don’t trust the voice”: the Monmouth family 3-step response

Here’s the plan that works even if the voice sounds identical:

1. Pause and break the spell. Take one breath. Scammers need you panicked.
2. Hang up and call back on a number you already know. The FTC’s guidance is blunt: don’t trust the voice — verify the story by calling the person using a phone number you know is theirs (FTC Consumer Advice).
3. If you can’t reach them, verify through a second person. Call a spouse, roommate, coach, or friend who would actually know where they are (FTC Consumer Advice).

If you do nothing else, do those three things.

Set a family “code word” (it’s not cheesy — it’s effective)

One of the best protections is also the simplest: choose a family “code word” or short phrase that has to be said if someone is truly asking for emergency help.

• Make it easy to remember (and not something posted on social media).
• Practice it once with your kids: “If you ever call me and you’re scared, I’m going to ask for the code word.”
• If your family hates code words, use a code question that’s not Google-able (example: “What did we name the stuffed dog?”).

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) explicitly recommends creating a secret word/phrase with family members to verify identities in scammy text/voice message situations (FBI IC3).

Texts and voice notes count too (and links are the trap)

This isn’t just phone calls anymore. The FBI has warned about campaigns using texts and AI-generated voice messages to build trust, then push people to click a link or move to a different messaging platform (FBI IC3).

Two rules for your household group chat:

• No clicking “urgent” links from anyone you can’t independently verify first (FBI IC3).
• If someone you know contacts you from a new number/app, verify through a previously confirmed channel before you do anything else (FBI IC3).

If a Monmouth teen is the “voice,” here’s the prevention checklist

Kids don’t need to delete their lives, but a few habits reduce risk:

• Lock down social accounts (at least make posts friends-only) so random people can’t easily grab audio clips.
• Be careful with public videos that include clear talking — especially if profiles show school, town, or sports team.
• Family rule: if you get a weird call, you hang up and call the parent back. No exceptions.

And parents: consider saving your child’s real voice memo saying “If you ever get a call like this, hang up and call me back.” It’s a quick way to normalize the behavior before there’s pressure.

How Love of Humanity helps

Love of Humanity is a Monmouth County nonprofit focused on practical, family-facing community education — the kind you can use in real life, not just read and forget. We turn complex topics (scams, home projects, storms, utilities, and local resources) into simple checklists you can share in your group chats and school circles.

If your family ever wants a second set of eyes on a message, a link, or a situation that feels “off,” we’d rather help you verify than see a neighbor lose money in a panic.