Fact · Voice privacy and security
The FTC advises that, to check a call about a family emergency, you use a phone number you know is right to call or message the family member or friend who supposedly contacted you.
Checked against its source on October 17, 2026
In the source's own words
“Use a phone number you know is right to call or message the family member or friend who (supposedly) contacted you.”
Scammers Use Fake Emergencies to Steal Your Money, Federal Trade Commission, FTC Consumer Advice, n.d., Advice on how to verify the person's identity.
Open the original- What it measures
- The FTC's consumer article on fake emergency scams, in which a caller says a relative is in trouble and needs money quickly. The advice sits alongside a suggestion to ask a question only the real person would know.
- What it does not show
- This is consumer guidance, not a legal rule. The article describes scams in general and does not mention voice cloning, although a cloned voice is one way a scammer can make the call convincing.