Was That Call a Scam? Phone and Voice Scam Checker

Answer a few questions about a call or voice message and see whether it follows a known scam script, with exactly what to do next.

Your answers are scored in your browser and are never sent anywhere. The family code word is made on your device.

Phone scams work because there is no time to think. A caller who sounds like your bank, the tax office or your own child pushes you to act before you can check. Cloned voices make it worse: a few seconds of someone's voice from a video is enough for software to imitate them.

No tool can reliably tell from audio whether a voice is cloned, and this one does not pretend to. Instead it looks at what every phone scam has to do: ask for money, a code or access, and stop you checking. Tick what happened on the call and the checker shows whether it matches a known script, why, and the safest next step for the person the caller claimed to be.

How it works

  1. Choose who the caller said they were: family, your bank, a government office, the police, a tech company, your boss, a delivery company or someone else.
  2. Tick what they asked you to do, such as move money, pay with gift cards or cryptocurrency, read out a code, let them onto your device, or confirm personal details.
  3. Tick how they pushed you: urgency, threats, secrecy, a new number, telling you not to hang up or not to call back.
  4. Each request and pressure tactic carries a weight based on how strongly regulators link it to fraud. A request for gift cards weighs the most, because no genuine organisation is ever paid that way.
  5. A demand for money or access combined with pressure adds extra weight, because that pairing is the shape of nearly every phone scam. A bank caller asking you to move money, or a 'family member' on a new number asking for payment, adds more.
  6. Caller ID matching the real number, or the caller knowing your details, adds nothing. Both are easy to fake, and the result says so.
  7. You get a score out of 100, a verdict, the reasons in plain words, and the steps for the kind of caller involved. A generator makes a two-word family code word on your device.

Reading your results

  • Likely scam (60 or more): the call asked for money, codes or access and used pressure. Do not pay, share anything or let them on your device. Hang up and use a number you already trust.
  • Suspicious (30 to 59): several warning signs. Treat it as a scam until you have checked through a channel you chose yourself.
  • Unclear (10 to 29): a few signs. Nothing has been asked that cannot be undone yet, so check before doing anything.
  • Few signs (under 10): no common scam requests so far. If they call back asking for money, codes or access, run the check again.
  • Why it matters: each reason names the tactic and what it is for, so you can recognise it next time.

How this fits into the real world

In 2023 the US Federal Trade Commission warned that scammers were using AI to clone family members' voices in emergency calls. In December 2024 the FBI advised families to agree a secret word or phrase to verify each other, because a cloned voice can copy how someone sounds but not what only they know.

The bank version is just as common. A caller says your account is under attack and you must move your money to a 'safe account' or approve a payment in your app. The FTC is blunt about it: a real bank will never tell you to move money to protect it. Caller ID showing your bank's number proves nothing, because the number shown can be set to anything.

At work, the same trick arrives as a call or voice note from the 'chief executive' asking for an urgent, confidential transfer. The FBI has warned that since April 2025 criminals have sent AI-generated voice messages impersonating senior US officials. The defence is the same everywhere: a payment or access request that arrives by voice is checked through a second, known channel before anyone acts.

Who this is for

  • Anyone who has just had an unsettling call and wants to know whether to call back, pay or ignore it.
  • Adult children helping a parent who keeps getting 'bank' or 'tax office' calls.
  • Families who want to agree a code word before a cloned-voice call ever happens.
  • Staff who approve payments and want a clear rule for voice requests.

What this tool cannot tell you

  • It does not listen to the call or analyse audio. It scores what the caller asked for and how, which is what reliably separates scams from genuine calls.
  • It relies on your answers. If a caller has not asked for anything yet, the score stays low even though the call may be the first step of a scam.
  • Genuine organisations sometimes call, and a real fraud team may ask you to confirm a transaction. They will not ask you to move money, read out a code or install an app. When unsure, hang up and call the official number.
  • It does not check phone numbers against a list of known scam numbers. Scammers change numbers constantly and can show any number they like.

Frequently asked questions

Can scammers really copy someone's voice?

Yes. Voice cloning software can imitate a person from a short recording, such as a video posted online. The FTC and FBI have both warned about cloned voices in family emergency and impersonation scams. That is why the checker scores what the caller asks for rather than how they sound.

How do I set up a family code word?

Pick two ordinary words that nobody could guess from your social media, such as the pair the generator above suggests. Tell family members in person, not by text or email. If someone calls in an emergency asking for money, ask for the word. A real family member will know it; a cloned voice will not.

My bank called and the number matched. Is it real?

Not necessarily. Caller ID can be faked to show your bank's real number. Hang up and call the number on the back of your card, ideally from another phone. In the UK, dialling 159 connects you to many banks safely. A real bank will never ask you to move money to keep it safe.

I already paid or read out a code. What now?

Call your bank or card issuer straight away on the number on your card and ask them to stop the payment. If you shared a code, change the password for that account and sign out of all devices. If you let them onto your computer, disconnect it from the internet and change passwords from a different device. Then report the call.

Is it safe to call back the number that called me?

No. Calling back the number in your call history can connect you straight back to the scammer. Find the organisation's number yourself, from your card, a bill or its official website.

Where do I report a scam call?

In Australia, report to Scamwatch. In the US, use ReportFraud.ftc.gov. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, use Report Fraud online or on 0300 123 2040, and in Scotland call Police Scotland on 101. In Canada, contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre on 1-888-495-8501.

Why does the checker ignore that they knew my details?

Because it is not evidence. Names, addresses and account types are leaked in data breaches and sold by people-search sites, so a scammer often knows them before calling. A caller knowing your details should not make you trust them.

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