Fraud First AidDigital safety for American families

Family Scam Safety Plan: a Printable Page for Your Parents or Grandparents

Scammers pose as a grandchild in trouble, Medicare, the bank or the IRS, and push for a fast payment before anyone can check. Fill this in together, print it and keep it by the phone. It takes about ten minutes.

Private: what you type stays on this page. It isn't saved or sent anywhere.

1. Who is the plan for?
2. Who should they call to check a story?

Up to three people they trust. Use the numbers already saved in their phone, never one a caller gives them.

3. Your family code word

Agree on it in person. Pick something that isn't on social media, like a pet's name or a street you lived on.

4. Their bank and local numbers

Copy them from the back of the card or a statement, not from a text, email or search ad.

5. Official numbers to include

Leave the boxes empty to print a blank plan and fill it in by hand.

Our family’s scam safety plan

Before you pay anyone or share any number: hang up and call one of us.

  • __________________   ☎ __________________
  • __________________   ☎ __________________
  • __________________   ☎ __________________

Our rules

  1. If someone says a family member is in trouble, hang up and call that person, or another relative, at a number you already have. Don’t trust the voice: scammers can fake it. Agree on a family code word together, then ask the caller for it. Never say it first. (FTC on fake emergencies, FBI)
  2. Never pay anyone who insists on gift cards, cryptocurrency, a wire transfer, a payment app or cash, and never hand cash or gold to a courier. Anyone who insists on that is a scammer. (FTC on payments, FTC on couriers)
  3. If a caller says to keep it secret, that’s a warning sign. Tell one of us right away. (FTC on fake emergencies, FTC on bank calls)
  4. Never give a caller the code sent to your phone, or your Medicare, Social Security or bank numbers. Call the company or agency back at a number you find yourself. (FTC on codes, FTC on bank calls)

Numbers to call yourself

Bank fraud line __________________
Credit card fraud line __________________
Police (non-emergency) __________________
Medicare 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. TTY 1-877-486-2048 (Medicare.gov)
Social Security 1-800-772-1213 Mon–Fri, 8 a.m.–7 p.m. local time. TTY 1-800-325-0778 (SSA)
IRS 800-829-1040 Mon–Fri, 7 a.m.–7 p.m. local time. TTY 800-829-4059 (IRS)
National Elder Fraud Hotline (Justice Department), for anyone 60 or older 833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311) Mon–Fri, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Eastern. Call it yourself: scammers pretend to be this hotline. (Justice Department)
Report a scam to the FTC 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or ReportFraud.ftc.gov (FTC)

Government agencies won’t do this

  • Medicare: “Medicare will never call you to sell you anything or visit you at your home.” (Medicare.gov)
  • Social Security: “Social Security will never threaten, scare, or pressure you into immediate action.” (SSA Inspector General)
  • IRS: “We never ask for or accept gift cards as payment.” (IRS)
  • Any government agency: “Government agencies will never threaten you, and they’ll never tell you to transfer your money to ‘protect it,’ deposit cash into Bitcoin ATMs, or hand off stacks of cash or gold to a courier.” (FTC)

If you already paid or shared something

  1. Call your bank or card company right away, at the number on the back of your card or on a statement. (FTC)
  2. Before you do anything else, tell someone on this plan what happened. (FTC)
  3. Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If you’re 60 or older, the Elder Fraud Hotline can help you report it. (Justice Department)
  4. Anyone who calls offering to get your money back for a fee is another scammer. (FTC on payments)

fraudfirstaid.com/tools/family-scam-plan/ · Official numbers checked October 15, 2026

Why a family plan helps

Scammers who pose as a relative or an official count on panic and secrecy. The FTC warns: “don’t trust the voice on the line — even if it sounds like your family member or friend,” because “some scammers use artificial intelligence (AI) to clone your loved one’s voice.” The caller may also say “it’s important to keep it secret,” so you don’t talk to anyone who could spot the scam (FTC).

A plan agreed on calmly, in advance, gives everyone a script for that moment: hang up, call back at a number you already have, check with someone else, and never pay the way the caller demands.

How to choose and use a family code word

The FBI’s advice on scams that use AI is to “create a secret word or phrase with your family to verify their identity” (FBI). A few practical tips:

  • Agree on it in person, not by text or email.
  • Pick something a stranger can’t find online. Skip pet names, birthdays and anything you’ve posted.
  • The caller has to say it. Never hint at it or say it first.
  • If you think someone else has learned it, choose a new one.
  • No code word yet? The FTC suggests “asking a question only the real person would know the answer to” (FTC).

The FTC’s own action plan

The FTC publishes a printable “How I’ll Avoid a Scam: My Action Plan” (PDF): a list of people you trust and the contact details of the companies you deal with, to “post it on your fridge or keep it near your phone or computer” (FTC). This plan works the same way and adds the family code word the FBI recommends, the official government numbers already filled in, and the payment and secrecy rules in plain words. Use whichever your family prefers, or both.

How to bring it up with your parents

Scams happen to all kinds of people, and many never talk about it. The FTC’s Pass It On materials start from that: “Chances are good that someone you know has been scammed. They may not talk about it, but the statistics do” (FTC). The FTC describes them as “a way to start a conversation with friends and family” (FTC).

  • Fill in the plan together, so it’s their plan and not a lecture.
  • Agree that a call to check a story is never a bother, at any hour.
  • Keep one copy by the phone and a smaller one in a wallet or purse.

If a scam already happened

Official numbers and quotes checked against FBI, FTC, Social Security, IRS, Medicare and Justice Department pages on October 15, 2026. This plan is general information, not legal or financial advice. In an emergency, call 911.