A human answer to an AI-era problem.
A criminal can copy a voice from a few seconds of public audio, then call an older parent late at night, fake an emergency, and ask for money before anyone has time to think. The FTC and FBI have warned about it for two years. The fix that actually works needs no app and no subscription, only a moment's pause and a phone that rings someone in your family who already knows the truth.
So we built the simplest possible defense: a small physical kit you tap, a short story your family shares, and a private number that rings the family members you choose. The kit ships with the hotline live the day it arrives. Setup takes about five minutes at a kitchen table.
The Family Word starts with the people most at risk today, older parents in the United States. But a cloned voice can target anyone who shares an account, a password, or a life with someone, so the idea protects any family that sets it up. It's free to share, free to talk about, and built to be the easiest thing your family ever set up together.
The kit and the hotline.
The kit is a small physical card, mailed once. It carries the routine you set up with your family, a question only your family knows, plus the hotline number. No app, no login, no monthly subscription.
The hotline is a private number that rings the family members you choose. When something feels off, the family dials in. The call routes to the family members you picked during setup, not to us. We provide the routing service; your family is who picks up.
$59 one-time. Free US shipping. Hotline live the day the kit arrives. Year 1 of the routing service is bundled; renewal in Year 2 is an optional $19 a year.
Read more about the founder
Founder
Ryan T. Murphy
The Family Word is a one-person company so far. Read about the career arc that led here, what the kit is meant to do for your family, and how to reach the founder directly.
Read the founder bio →How to reach us.
Questions about the kit, the hotline, partnership ideas, or press? We're reachable by email, and a real person reads every note.
Email hello@thefamilyword.com, or sign up below to be notified when the next batch ships.
Go to the waitlist formAnything, really.
- How the kit fits a parent who already has dementia signs.
- Whether the hotline works outside the United States.
- Bulk orders for senior centers, churches, and HOAs.
- Speaking, podcasts, and AARP-style workshops.
- Anything you read in an article and want clarified.