100% freeNo sign-upsNo trackingKeeps working with the internet off
A voice or a message can be copied. A word only your family knows lets you check who is really on the line, before anyone sends money or shares a code.
The short answer. A voice or a message can be copied, so agree one word that only your family knows and ask for it whenever someone asks for money, a code or urgent help. This page makes a random word on your own device, saves nothing and prints a card for the fridge.
How it works, in four steps
Paste or chooseChoose how the word is made, or type your own.
The check runs on your own phone or computerWhat you add stays on your device, and the page keeps working with the internet off.
Read what it found and what to do nextTell your family the word in person, and print the card.
What this check cannot doA safe word cannot stop a voice or a message being faked, and it only works if everyone remembers it and keeps it private.
Step 1
Make a word, or choose your own.
The word is made on this device from a list of plain words. It is not saved, and it stays on your device.
Avoid pet names, birthdays and anything on social media. A random word is harder to guess.
Step 2
Who will have it?
Our family safe word
Make a word above
Kept in our heads. Never written here.
Who has it: ________________________
If a call or message asks for money, a code, or urgent help, even if it sounds like us:
Ask for the safe word.
No word, or the wrong word? Stop and hang up.
Call the person back on the number you already have.
Never type the word into a message. Say it out loud, on a call you started.
UtilForge.org · Cybersecurity first. A safer online world for all. Practical tools and guides for a digital future. · utilforge.org/tools/family-safe-word
The printed card leaves the word out. A card on the fridge is seen by visitors, carers and video calls, so it carries the rules and the names, and the word stays in your heads.
How to use it
Tell each person the word in person or on a call you started. Do not send it in a text or email.
Use it when someone asks for money, a code or private details in a hurry, even when the voice or the message looks right.
If anyone has typed the word into a message, choose a new one.
Keep the card somewhere your family can find it, such as the fridge or a wallet.
Money is involved? Also hang up and call your bank on the number printed on your card.
At work
The same idea protects a team. If a colleague, supplier or boss asks by message or phone to change bank details or to pay in a hurry, confirm by calling them on a number you already hold. SABRIC, the South African banks’ crime-information centre, lists payment or payee changes that arrive by email, WhatsApp or phone as a warning sign.
A safe word is one extra check, not a guarantee. It works best together with the habit of calling back on a number you already have. Check first is the habit in five moments.
Every check in one place
For a whole household or a team, Family Safety Tools and the Work pack keep the checks together. The single tools are free to use.
What this cannot do
A safe word helps a family confirm who is calling. It cannot stop a message from being faked, and it only works if everyone remembers it and keeps it private. If a call asks for money urgently, hang up and phone the person on the number you already have.
Questions people ask
Who made this?
UtilForge makes it. UtilForge is a website of free cybersecurity tools. The About page explains why the tools were made, and the Contact page is the way to reach us.
Is this a scam site?
You do not have to take our word for it, because you can check. This page does not ask for payment, a sign-in or card details. It is set so that your browser stops the page sending anything off your phone or computer, and you can test that: let the page finish loading, switch the internet off, then use it. It keeps working, because it has nowhere to send anything. If you are still unsure about any website, do not type anything private into it. UtilForge also sells optional packs of tools through Gumroad, and nothing on this page needs one.
What happens when I close the page?
The word is gone. The page does not save it anywhere, so before you close the page, tell your family the word, or print a copy of the card with the word included and keep it hidden away. It saves nothing in your browser and puts nothing in the web address of the page. A word you chose to copy stays on your clipboard, the place that holds copied text, until you copy something else.
Does it cost anything, and do I need to sign in?
It is free, and you can start straight away. UtilForge also sells optional packs of tools through Gumroad, and nothing on this page needs one.
What is a family safe word for?
A voice or a message can be copied. A word only your family knows lets you check who is really on the line before anyone sends money or shares a code.
How do we use a family safe word?
The Federal Bureau of Investigation gives the same advice in its public notice of 3 December 2024 on criminals using artificial intelligence to copy voices: “Create a secret word or phrase with your family to verify their identity.” (Internet Crime Complaint Center, alert I-120324-PSA.)
Tell each person the word in person, or on a call you started, and never in a text or email. If a call or message asks for money, a code or urgent help, ask for the safe word. If there is no word, or the wrong word, stop and hang up, then call the person back on the number you already have. If anyone has typed the word into a message, choose a new one.
What should I avoid when choosing a word?
Avoid pet names, birthdays and anything on social media. A random word is harder to guess.
Is a safe word a guarantee?
No. It is one extra check. It works best together with the habit of calling back on a number you already have.
Tell UtilForge what worked and what did not. Each button opens an email to lindsay@utilforge.org that you write and send yourself. UtilForge will only quote your words on this site if you say it may, and then with your first name and country only.
The whole method in one book. “How to Become Safer Online” is a free large-print guide to the five steps most scams follow, and what to do if money or details have already gone. Read or print the free book.