This is a huge problem, and I’m glad you’re asking this question.

Old people really really hate feeling like they’re behind in terms of knowledge. “I’m older and so I’m smarter!” is how they raised their children. So, you really need a demo to shock them into being willing to learn and drop the ego. Not to prove them wrong, but to demo how sinister and believable these things are. Don’t make them feel stupid. Show them what they’re up against.

Personally, I would find either a soundboard (Elon Musk might be easy, as tons of scammers use him and Boomers love him) or see if you can find a free or cheap voice clone app and clone your own voice, or one of your parents. Then call them when you know you or your parents will be around so that they are on the call and trusting it’s a loved one, then the loved one is there and not on the phone and aware of what’s going on.

Not only would this shock them into thinking “well, maybe it’s worse than I thought. They already got me once!” But might also give them a story to tell their friends that will help spread the idea.

Then you lay out basic tools and procedures like are suggested here already. Passwords or code words, helpful cards around the house with questions to ask and answers to expect, prompts that urgency is a sign of crime, etc.

The approach we’ve taken is to talk to our aging parents and relatives to make a plan in advance.

We gave them a half page card with instructions on what to do if you get such a call. It starts with a reminder that these calls are often fake and then says to always call a trusted family member before sending anyone anything. It includes a list of trusted family members to call.

We made sure to put it on their fridges so its easy to locate when needed.

There is an element of cat and mouse to this scam. I don’t think you providing a good example case is going to enable the assholes to do a better job. They would get there anyway and then we find other ways to make it harder for them. The benefits of reaching and teaching the clueless outweigh the danger of steepening the enemy in my opinion.

If it’s online it’s out in the open. Even if you make a website and exclude it from search engine indexes, there will be an LLM that doesn’t gaf. You could publish only a hard copy book or VHS tapes to reach the target audience. But then you limit your reach as well.

I was thinking about the same recently. how about a secret word that the other needs to know beforehand so they can identify me for real? like a password as identifyier for calls.

I was thinking one could always ask me: “But is Loki okay?” or “should I pick up Loki from Kindergarten?” or something - Loki is my belated cat and the answer would be a good indicator.

Or am I forgetting smt so this maybe wouldn’t work?

If they’re not people that you would ordinarily ask for money from, the simplest answer is to just make sure they understand that.

And that “you” asking for money out of the blue is suspicious.

For people in you immediate support system… they should know that there’s very few crisis that require immediate decisions and none of them need cash wired to foreign bank accounts or stashed on gift cards or in bitcoin.

And certainly not from an unknown number.

The focus there should be on verifying it’s you. (By hanging up and calling you direct.$