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Plain-spoken reads on AI voice clone scams, what the FTC is saying, and how to protect the people you love.

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Explainer

The Remote Job Offer That Costs You $4,000

A recruiter says you're hired, mails a check to buy your home-office equipment, and asks you to forward most of it to their preferred vendor. A week later the check bounces and you owe the bank thousands. Here is how the fake remote job scam works.

Headshot of Ryan T. Murphy, Founder, The Family Word Ryan T. Murphy · 9 min read
Explainer

The 'I Love You, Please Send Money' Conversation

A plain-English explainer of the classic dating-app romance scam — the deployed-soldier or oil-rig storyline that ends with an emergency cash request — for the adult child of a parent being targeted.

Headshot of Ryan T. Murphy, Founder, The Family Word Ryan T. Murphy · 9 min read
Explainer

The "Your Power's About to Be Shut Off" Call

A plain-English explainer on the utility shutoff scam — the rushed phone call that demands a prepaid card to stop a fake disconnect, who it targets, and what to do in the next ten minutes.

Headshot of Ryan T. Murphy, Founder, The Family Word Ryan T. Murphy · 7 min read
Explainer

When the "IRS" Calls With an Arrest Warrant

A plain-English explainer for the adult child of an older parent. How the IRS arrest-warrant phone scam unfolds, what the real IRS does and does not do, and where to report the call.

Headshot of Ryan T. Murphy, Founder, The Family Word Ryan T. Murphy · 9 min read
Explainer

The Long Con That Starts With a Wrong Number

A plain-English explainer of pig-butchering investment scams: the slow trust-build, the fake trading platform, and the conversation to have if it happens to your family.

Headshot of Ryan T. Murphy, Founder, The Family Word Ryan T. Murphy · 9 min read
Explainer

When the refund is the trap: how tech-support scams now ship cash by FedEx

A plain-English explainer on the tech support refund scam. What a fake Microsoft or Geek Squad pop-up call sounds like, why the 'overpayment' wrinkle works, and the move that ends every version of it.

Headshot of Ryan T. Murphy, Founder, The Family Word Ryan T. Murphy · 7 min read
Explainer

When the bank fraud department calls, they don't say 'wire it out'

A plain-English explainer on the bank impersonation scam. What a fake bank call sounds like, the one-line rule real fraud departments follow, and the move that ends every version of the call.

Headshot of Ryan T. Murphy, Founder, The Family Word Ryan T. Murphy · 6 min read
Explainer

The gift-card aisle is the new bank vault

Why "secure your account" gift card demands are the #1 reported imposter payment method for adults 60+, and the rule that stops the drive to Target.

Headshot of Ryan T. Murphy, Founder, The Family Word Ryan T. Murphy · 6 min read
Explainer

Social Security imposter calls now use real employee names

A plain-English explainer for the adult child of an older parent. What an SSA imposter call sounds like in 2026, what changed in April, and one small thing you can do this Sunday.

Headshot of Ryan T. Murphy, Founder, The Family Word Ryan T. Murphy · 6 min read
Explainer

The grandparent scam in 2026: when a stranger knocks on the door

A plain-English explainer for the adult child of an older parent. How the grandparent scam works in 2026, what changed this year, and one small thing you can do this Sunday.

Headshot of Ryan T. Murphy, Founder, The Family Word Ryan T. Murphy · 6 min read
Explainer

If a Bitcoin ATM enters the story, the call is a scam

A plain-English Bitcoin ATM scam guide for the adult child of an older parent. How the call goes, why the model is collapsing in 2026, and the one rule worth writing on the fridge.

Headshot of Ryan T. Murphy, Founder, The Family Word Ryan T. Murphy · 7 min read
The ultimate guide

The ultimate guide to protecting older parents from voice clone scams

Everything you need to know, from how cloning works to the conversation that beats it.

Headshot of Ryan T. Murphy, Founder, The Family Word Ryan T. Murphy · 9 min read
News

What the latest FTC alert on imposter scams means for your family

Quarterly read on the regulatory landscape, written for adult children of older parents.

Headshot of Ryan T. Murphy, Founder, The Family Word Ryan T. Murphy · 4 min read
Explainer

Three seconds of audio is all it takes

How a few seconds of public audio becomes training data for the call you never want to get.

Headshot of Ryan T. Murphy, Founder, The Family Word Ryan T. Murphy · 4 min read
Guide

What to do in the first hour after a voice clone call

A short, practical checklist. Print it, tape it to the fridge, send it to your mom.

Headshot of Ryan T. Murphy, Founder, The Family Word Ryan T. Murphy · 4 min read
How it works

How to choose a family story that actually holds up

Rules of thumb, what to avoid, and why the obvious choices fall apart under pressure.

Headshot of Ryan T. Murphy, Founder, The Family Word Ryan T. Murphy · 5 min read
How it works

Why the hotline is the part that matters

A private number that rings the family members you choose, what the hotline does, how the routing works, and what year-two costs.

Headshot of Ryan T. Murphy, Founder, The Family Word Ryan T. Murphy · 6 min read