"Grandma, it's me. I've been in an accident. Please don't tell Mom and Dad. I need money wired right now." The family-impersonation scam hijacks love and urgency at the same time — and voice-cloning technology means the caller may genuinely sound like your grandchild.

This playbook gives you the complete defense. You'll set up a family code word no scammer can guess, learn the anatomy of the call (including the text-message, bail-lawyer, social-media, and "new number" variants), and get a word-for-word script for what to say during a suspicious call. The golden move is disarmingly simple: hang up and call back on the number you already have.

You'll also find what to do after — whether or not money changed hands — how to talk about it with grandchildren without awkwardness, how to harden the whole family's verification habits, and guidance for the emotional aftermath. The appendix is a printable one-page playbook for every phone in the house.