Scammers can now do a much more convincing job of impersonating people in their efforts to swindle unsuspecting friends and relatives. With the widespread popularity of video apps like TikTok and Instagram, it’s much easier to get a good sample of someone’s voice. Match that with personal information revealed in these videos — Grandpa or Grandma co-starring in the video — and the scammer has everything needed to build a compelling story.

So what can you do to protect yourself from falling victim to these sophisticated attacks? Here are several strategies you can implement on your own and a couple that work especially well if you can collaborate with your family’s influencers-to-be.

Make all of your social media accounts private. Check with your own circle and encourage them to do the same. Keep your location and travel plans out of your social posts. Even if you’re just tagging a restaurant or checking in at the airport, you’re offering up a timeline that scammers can use to create a believable scenario. And skip those birthday posts for your kids and grandkids. It might feel harmless, but names and ages are exactly the kind of personal information that can help a scammer sound credible.

Let unknown numbers go to voicemail. This way, you can check your messages without getting entangled in a conversation with a scammer. They may be real people or they may be AI agents programmed to say all the right things in response to you. And the thing about AI agents is that they never give up.

My son-in-law was selling a car on KSL and received a call from a potential buyer who insisted he register the car’s title on a website for $35. He became suspicious that it wasn’t a real person, but an AI agent, because no matter what he said, the caller was unnaturally friendly, polite and persistent. He eventually hung up. While $35 may seem like a trivial amount compared to the thousands of dollars requested on emergency calls, it could add up quickly, especially with tireless AI callers.

But even known numbers may be misleading because caller ID can be spoofed. Scammers can mask their phone numbers to make it look like the call is coming from someone in your contacts list, a local area code or even a government agency. They use inexpensive online tools to manipulate the caller ID system, which means you can’t trust the number you see on your screen.

If you find yourself on the receiving end of an emergency call, remain calm. The first red flag is a request for money, and that’s when you’ll know you are likely the target of a scam. The best thing to do is hang up. Then you can independently verify that the person referenced on the call is okay. Text or call. If you can’t reach the person directly, call a family member or friend.

You can also take a proactive approach with your family. Set a simple policy for handling emergency calls, like, “If I ever get a call like this, I’ll hang up and call you directly.” Practice your scenario together. It may feel silly, but that bit of family fun could be just enough to help you do the right thing when you’re under pressure from a scammer.

Review the privacy and scam protection tools available from your mobile carrier. Many offer free services to block robocalls and flag suspicious numbers. These settings are often buried in your account dashboard but are worth finding and turning on.

And if you do get a scam call, report it at reportfraud.ftc.gov. Your report helps build a database that investigators use to track patterns and identify new tactics. It may not lead to an immediate result, but it’s a step toward stopping these scams before they reach someone more vulnerable.

Leslie Meredith has been writing about technology for more than a decade. As a mom of four, value, usefulness and online safety take priority. Have a question? Email Leslie at asklesliemeredith@gmail.com.