Fact · Voice privacy and security
Starling Bank says a phrase that no one else knows lets close friends and family verify that they are really speaking to each other.
Checked against its source on October 17, 2026
In the source's own words
“with their close friends and family that no one else knows, to allow them to verify that they are really speaking to them.”
AI voice cloning scams could catch millions out - with over a quarter of UK adults targeted in the past year, Starling Bank, Starling Bank, 2024, Press release, 18 September 2024, campaign description.
Open the original- What it measures
- Starling launched its Safe Phrases campaign alongside the 28% survey result, to encourage a shared secret that a cloned voice cannot know.
- What it does not show
- Advice from a bank campaign. It works only if the phrase stays secret and is used in the moment of the call.