Your Family Safety Plan: Six Things to Set Up Tonight
Most scams succeed in the few minutes before anyone thinks to check. A family plan gives everyone, from grandkids to grandparents, the same moves to make in those minutes.
Pick a family code word: Say it out loud together. Never text it or post it.
Save everyone's real number: Anyone can hang up on a scary call and call the person back.
Find your bank's fraud number: It's on the back of your card. Save it in your phone.
Agree on the house rule: Anyone can hang up and check, and nobody gets in trouble for it. That includes kids who tell you about something online.
Name a trusted person: Each family member picks one person to call before sending money anywhere.
Know where to report: ReportFraud.ftc.gov and IC3.gov. Age 60 or older? The National Elder Fraud Hotline is 1-833-372-8311.
Go further
Take Netivo's Digital Safety Check-Up together. It comes in standard, large-print and one-page youth editions and gives your family a score and quick wins.
Freeze your credit at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. It's free and you can lift it when you need to.
Set social media videos to friends only, so fewer strangers can copy your family's voices.
Practice it
Plans work better when you've rehearsed them. At Netivo Family Nights, families play Scam Squad, a tabletop game where grandparents, parents and kids face a scam call together and practice these moves before it's real.
Netivo teaches online safety and scam prevention for every generation, and helps families find the right agency when something goes wrong. Netivo does not give legal or financial advice and never charges victims to recover money. Questions or want a session for your group? Email inquiry@netivo.xyz.
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