Family Scam Safety Checklist
A printable checklist to set up scam protections across your whole family.
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Use this checklist to put practical scam protections in place for your family. Work through it together — it's a one-time setup that pays off every time a scammer makes contact.
Agree the basics together
Before you go through individual protections, sit down as a family and agree a small set of shared rules that block the majority of scams in one go. Decide together that no one will ever send money, gift cards, or crypto based on an urgent phone call or message without verifying it first through a separate, known channel. Agree a family safe word that a genuine relative could supply if calling in an emergency. Decide who the 'check with me first' person is for each family member, so there's never confusion about who to call. Doing this as a shared agreement, rather than a rule imposed on one person, makes it far more likely everyone actually follows it.
- Set a family safe word for emergencies and suspicious calls
- Agree the rule: pause and verify before paying or sharing details
- Save official bank and agency numbers where everyone can find them
Secure devices and accounts
Most account takeovers and successful phishing attempts happen because a few basic settings were never turned on, so this is quick work with a high payoff. Turn on multi-factor authentication for email, banking, and any account holding payment details, since it stops a stolen password alone from being enough to break in. Use a password manager so no one is reusing the same password across sites, which is how one leaked site can compromise everything else. Keep phones and computers updated, since many attacks exploit known software flaws that patches already fix. Set spending or transaction alerts on bank accounts so unusual activity is flagged immediately rather than discovered weeks later on a statement.
- Enable app-based two-factor authentication on key accounts
- Set up scam-call blocking on phones
- Use a password manager and unique passwords
Know how to respond
Even with good habits, mistakes happen, so make sure every family member — including children — knows the first three moves if something goes wrong. First, stop: don't send more money or information, even if the other person is pressuring for it. Second, tell someone in the family immediately, using the agreed 'no blame' rule so no one hides it out of embarrassment. Third, contact the bank's fraud line on a number you already have to freeze transfers, and report the incident to the relevant national fraud reporting service. Write these three steps on a card or shared note everyone can find quickly, because clear thinking is hard in the moment a scam is discovered.
- Know to stop contact and stop paying
- Know to call the bank on the official number
- Know to preserve evidence and report
Frequently asked questions
How often should we review this?
Revisit the checklist a couple of times a year and after any close call. Scam tactics evolve, so refreshing awareness and confirming the safe word keeps the family's defences current.