Why this checklist exists
AI voice cloning scams stole $2.7 billion in 2023. The technology has since improved. Every family that lost money to a voice scam had the same vulnerability: no pre-established verification protocol. This checklist closes that gap.
The Complete Checklist
- 01Download Real Authenticatorcritical2 min
Install from the App Store. Sign in with Apple ID. No password or email required. Free for up to 3 connections.
- 02Connect with elderly family members firstcritical5 min each
Parents and grandparents are primary targets. Prioritize them. Send invite links via iMessage. Walk them through accepting it.
- 03Establish the family verification rulecritical5 min
Agree together: no wire transfer, no gift cards, no Zelle payment before the Real Authenticator code is confirmed. Zero exceptions.
- 04Set a verbal backup code wordhigh2 min
A word only family knows. Not a birthday or common word. Use this as a backup if Real Authenticator isn't available. Never share it in writing.
- 05Enable voicemail screening on all phoneshigh2 min
Never answer calls from unknown numbers live. Screen them first. Scams rely on immediate emotional pressure — voicemail breaks this.
- 06Freeze credit at all three bureaushigh10 min
Free at Equifax.com, TransUnion.com, Experian.com. Prevents new credit lines being opened in your name after a successful social engineering attack.
- 07Audit social media privacy settingsmedium10 min
Set Facebook, Instagram, TikTok to private. Remove or restrict public video/audio posts. Public recordings = available training data for voice clones.
- 08Memorize the universal red flagsmedium2 min
Urgency + secrecy + gift card/wire/crypto/Zelle = scam. Every single time. No legitimate family member or institution operates this way.
- 09Practice the verification protocolmedium5 min
Run a test verification call with family. Ask for the code. Read the code. Confirm it matches. Practice makes this automatic when a real scam call arrives.
- 10Know how to report scam attemptslow2 min to bookmark
FTC: ReportFraud.ftc.gov · FBI: IC3.gov. Even failed attempts help law enforcement track networks. Report everything suspicious.
Start with Step 1 right now.
Real Authenticator is free for up to 3 connections. Download it now and complete the first three steps today — the highest-impact steps in the checklist.
When a Scam Call Arrives
Even with the checklist complete, knowing what to do in the moment matters. Here's the decision tree:
Unknown number calling live
Don't answer. Let it go to voicemail. If it's real, they'll leave a message.
Known number, strange request
Say: 'Give me your Real Authenticator code.' If they can't or won't: hang up.
Urgent request for money
Pause. Verify first, always. The urgency is manufactured. Real emergencies can wait 10 seconds for verification.
Request for gift cards / wire
Hang up immediately. No legitimate person or institution requests payment via gift cards or wire transfer in an emergency.
Call ended — was it a scam?
Report to FTC (ReportFraud.ftc.gov) and FBI IC3. Even failed attempts are valuable to law enforcement.