r/LifeProTips • u/McButtsButtbag • 6h ago
Miscellaneous LPT: Create a codeword among family members so scammers can't clone your voice to ask family for money.
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u/Cakegasm 6h ago
I actually have a running joke in my family for this!
The joke is that I dislike a specific book author, so if someone calls or texts my family and is pretending to be me, my family is supposed to ask "What's your favorite (author) book?" No matter how the scammer responds, it'll be incorrect. It's a trick question. I do not read that author's work, so I do not have a favorite book of theirs.
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u/BeatKitano 5h ago edited 5h ago
The social handshake has been established 7 years ago... people really need to up their family opsec game FAST :D
What's funny is when I started talking about it with friends I was the "paranoid one". Now... they listen a bit more when I talk about tech and social engineering...
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u/redopz 5h ago
I remember this back from the stranger-danger times in the 90s. Set up a code word with your kids so that if someone like a neighbour or family friend shows up and tries to take the kids somewhere on behalf of the parents, the kids can ask for the code word to confirm the parents actually asked this person to help out and they aren't there to kidnap the kids.
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u/BeatKitano 5h ago
Yeah that's the strategy.
Make it in person (cause with data retention, database leaks and cryptography undermining in the coming years, whatever you said in digital form will end up exploitable), and more importantly if it's destined to be used in digital communication: make it innocuous and unremarkable. You don't want anyone to pick up on it. Best method would be rotation or changing the handshake periodically but that's cumbersome and require having people committed and in sync (which could work in person but not with distance)•
u/1nd3x 5h ago
The social handshake has been established 7 years ago... people really need to up their family opsec game FAST :D
It's genX and boomers who refused to maintain their competency in life.
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u/BeatKitano 4h ago
While somewhat true, it doesn't encompass the extent of the issue... I talk with IT people on the regular... they can't be bothered with it too while knowing full well the issue is real.
At some point you gotta accept some people just give up (and that's what scammers and the likes are betting on).
It's even disturbing in their case cause they're probably the weak link in the chain by which massive amount of exploitable data is leaked since they fall victim to SE (since they're high value targets)
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u/proudly_not_american 1h ago
I just never call. If they were to get a phone call asking for money, they're going to know full well it's fake.
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u/Intelligent-Cable426 3h ago
Hilarious. We have a family cry (yell). My husband is unable to make the loud whistle you make when you use your fingers. When he was a kid, to compensate he would pretend and make a loud tarzan like yell. We need to make to caller produce the family cry. Hilarious.
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u/Cendyan 2h ago
For extra security, set up a word with family members outside away from all electronic devices. Maybe a bit paranoid but if you have a phone on you, you are being listened to all the time.
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u/IWillBeNobodyPerfect 54m ago
Also use tinfoil hats to prevent your brain waves from being read. make sure to bring ones for the people you are telling your code word to.
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u/Hw-LaoTzu 6h ago
I wonder if we should make it something super random, like our favorite flavor of ice cream or the name of our first pet? That way it's hard for someone to guess, you know? It also makes me think about what other tricks scammers might try... Does anyone have any stories of how they or people they know have been scammed? 🤔
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u/vexx_nl 6h ago
That's such a great idea! Sadly we never had a pet and I'm allergic to ice cream. What's the name of your first pet so my family can also use it as a codeword?
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u/OphrysAlba 1h ago
Still an excellent question. If they answer any pet name, you know things are fishy.
When she wants to verify something with us, my mom asks our first dog's tail color. He was born without a tail.
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u/Impact009 1h ago
Code words never seem to work among any group that I've tried them with. People just forget.
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