26 May Deepfakes And Vishing Scams: Why Every Family Needs A Code Word.
This week in cybersecurity from the editors at Cybercrime Magazine
Sausalito, Calif. – May. 26, 2026
According to the Wall Street Journal, criminals increasingly use generative AI to mimic real people’s voices and con their loved ones out of money. There’s a simple solution to the high-tech problem of vishing and deepfake scams: a code word.
Experts recommend a word that is simple and easy to remember, yet something only family members would know. It should be shared only with trusted family members. If you worry you’ll forget the code word, storing it in a secure password manager is regarded as a best practice.
With cybercrime on an unprecedented growth track, and predicted to cost the world $12.2 trillion annually by 2031, according to Cybersecurity Ventures, it’s imperative to protect yourself and your family, and a solution this simple is too important to ignore.
A new 2-minute video on the award-winning Cybercrime Magazine YouTube channel tells the story of a Philadelphia attorney and his son, who’s voice was spoofed by artificial intelligence, a harrowing encounter resulting in a near loss of thousands of dollars.
Scott Schober, a global cybersecurity expert and author of the popular book Hacked Again, chimes in with advice on selecting a good family code word, and avoiding a bad one.
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