You Need to Create a Secret Password With Your Family

The scammers are out of control. Every year, scammers and cyber criminals make billions by tricking people into parting with their cash. Romantic cheating, business email compromise, investment scam, blackmail—the list of ways criminals prey on people is virtually endless and constantly changing.

Added to this are impersonation scams, in which a criminal pretends to be someone known to their target and extorts money. There are increasing calls for people, especially families, to create passphrases or passwords with each other. In early December, FBI promulgate recommends that people create a “secret word or phrase with your family to verify their identity” and UK bank Starling has also published instruct about creating phrases that are safe with others.

It’s a simple, if not novel, approach that can be effective. For example, if you receive a text or call from your “son” or “daughter” and they are urgently asking for money to get out of a traffic jam, asking them for a passphrase is okay. prior agreement can reveal whether it is really them or not. .

“Fraudsters will use manipulative tactics to put victims in a vulnerable state where they moved by panic, urgency, or strong desire.” “Having a passphrase or similar prepared strategy allows a victim to quickly validate the legitimacy of an unusual interaction and take control.”

The call to create family passwords or passphrases comes as fraudsters increasingly adopt AI. Machine learning has enabled criminals to create impersonation deepfake videos people and voice transcription with just a few seconds of audio. Scammers used these voice clones ARRIVE pretend Family members were kidnapped and demanded to pay ransom for their release.

“AI is creating huge risks for businesses and families,” said Rachel Tobac, CEO of SocialProof Security. Tobac said companies she has worked for have received AI voice clone calls, also using spoofed phone numbers to try to impersonate business executives.

“I have also heard of several families who have been receiving daily AI phone call attacks that clone the voices of nephews, nieces or siblings in hysterics about being kidnapped or implicated. involved in a car accident where they hit a pregnant woman and needed money for compensation. fees and bail,” Tobac said.

Create a good family password

Just like your online passwords, there are things you should and shouldn’t do when creating a shared passphrase. First, you shouldn’t create a passphrase that’s similar to any of your passwords, and they shouldn’t be something a scammer could easily find—such as street names, birthdays, pets, or Other personal information may be shared online.

“Think of anything you or your loved ones post online as data available to scammers,” says Englund. “Even if you keep all your social media private, your data is still available to your connections and followers who can be hacked.”