Code Words: Why Everyone Should Have One

What is a Code Word?

You might be asking yourself what is a code word and why should I create one? Code words are important to have due to the increasing risks of AI scam phone calls. AI can clone voices of your family, friends, businesses, and even co-workers. Scammers can use readily available AI systems to create believable replicas of a human voice. Some AI cloning tools only require 10-60 seconds of sample audio to clone an individual voice. With the advancing of AI technology and increasing potential of receiving one of these calls, having a code word is key to protecting yourself from fraudsters.

How can this affect you? Scammers can use the AI voice to call you and make you think you are talking to someone you know and trust. They often try to get you to act fast by having you think that someone you know is in immediate need of your help. They will try to get you to send them money, share login credentials, or personal information.

Plan Ahead with a Code Word

It's important to plan for one of these phone calls and discuss this with your family, friends, and co-workers and come up with a code word today! When creating a code word, make sure it is unique and not easily guessed. You also want to make sure you are creating a different code word with each individual to ensure it is not being reused.

With all phone calls, if you ever doubt the person you are talking to is the legit source, take some extra verification steps to protect yourself. Tell the caller you have to call them back and then call them back using a known trusted number. Ask questions that only the real person would know the answers to. Or, create a code word for another layer of added protection.

Test Your Skills

Think you would be able to spot an AI voice? Test your skills here, courtesy of The National Cybersecurity Alliance. This site will share examples of AI and human voices and demonstrate how hard it is to tell the difference.