Is That Really You? A Guide to AI Scam Protection

Is That Really You? is a practical, beginner-friendly guide designed to help individuals and families protect themselves from modern AI-powered scams, including voice cloning, deepfakes, impostor calls, phishing, fake bank messages, romance scams, investment scams, fake online shops, and tech-support fraud.

AI has made scams more convincing than ever. A caller may sound exactly like someone you love, a video may appear to show a real person, and a fraudulent message may look completely professional. This guide teaches you how to pause, verify, and check suspicious requests before sending money, clicking links, or sharing personal information.

Inside, you’ll discover the Four Red Flags commonly found in scams—Surprise, Urgency, Secrecy, and Strange Payment—and learn the simple PAUSE Method: Pause, Ask, Use a known number, Share, and End & Report.

You’ll also learn how to create a private family safe phrase to help verify unexpected emergency calls, recognise fake bank and government contacts, identify suspicious texts and emails, check links more safely, avoid fake online shops, and spot romance and investment scams.

The guide also covers practical ways to strengthen your online security using strong passwords, multi-factor authentication (MFA), passkeys, safer privacy settings, and phone account protection. It includes dedicated advice for helping older family members stay safer while respecting their independence.

You will learn how to:

• Recognise AI voice-clone and deepfake scams
• Spot suspicious calls, texts, emails, links, and QR codes
• Deal safely with fake bank, government, police, and tech-support contacts
• Recognise romance, friendship, and investment scams
• Create and use a family safe phrase
• Protect important accounts with stronger passwords, MFA, and passkeys
• Help older family members stay safer without taking away their independence
• Respond quickly if money or personal information has already been lost

If a scam does happen, the First-Hour Plan explains the important steps to take quickly, including stopping contact, contacting your bank or payment provider, securing your accounts, reporting the incident, and protecting your identity.

Written in clear, simple language, this guide requires no technical or cybersecurity experience. It provides practical habits that you can start using immediately and share with the people you care about.

Pause. Check. Call back. Stay safe.