A Family Member Needs Money — NOW!

Protect yourself

AI can imitate familiar voices. Hang up and call your family member using a number you already know.

How it works

A frightened voice sounds like your child or grandchild. They claim they're in jail, injured, or stranded and urgently need money.

A few seconds of audio from a social media video is enough to clone a voice. The "lawyer" or "officer" who takes over the call then handles the payment.

Red flags

Begging you not to tell other family members
A second person taking over to arrange payment
Payment by wire, gift card, crypto or a courier picking up cash

If it already happened

If you already paid or gave access: hang up and call your bank from the number on your card to stop or reverse the payment, change any password you read out, and if you installed software or granted remote control, disconnect the computer and call your IT provider. Report the call at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

Where OpenEFA fits

Email filtering can't stop a phone call. The defense here is a habit: hang up, and call back on a number you already trust.

Scam Watch No. 05 · EFA Security · efasecurity.com/scam-watch/ · Print this page and post it where your team will see it.

No. 04: Microsoft Support Is Calling? No. 06: Your Electricity Will Be Shut Off!

Part of the OpenEFA MailGuard Scam Watch series. Published October 21, 2026 by the EFA Security team. Share it freely; a link back is appreciated.

At a glance

Type: Phone Scam
Channel: Phone Scams (Vishing)
They want: Money, usually by gift card, wire or cash app, or remote access to your computer
One rule: AI can clone a voice. Hang up and call back on a known number.

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Phone, email and text message scams, each on one page.

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