Help with scam calls,
on their terms

What families can do today

None of these need any technology, and together they stop most phone scams.

• Agree on a family code word. A real grandchild in trouble will know it; a scammer won't.
• Make one rule: never give a Medicare, bank or Social Security number to someone who called you. Hang up and call the number on the card instead.
• Nobody legitimate asks for payment in gift cards, wire transfers or cryptocurrency.
• Talk about scam calls the way you'd talk about the weather, without blame, so they'll tell you when something odd happens.
• Report scam calls at reportfraud.ftc.gov, and online fraud at ic3.gov.

Where Bruno fits in

Bruno doesn't block calls or take your parent's phone away. Their phone rings as it always has, and they answer whoever they want. When a call goes unanswered (they're busy, they hit decline, or they don't hear it), it goes to Bruno instead of voicemail.

• Bruno talks to the caller and takes a detailed message from real callers
• He recognizes common scam tactics: pressure, impersonation, requests for personal information
• Trusted callers, like their doctor or pharmacy, are reconnected after Bruno checks their name and number
• You get an email with a summary and full transcript of every call he answers

The scripts Bruno listens for

Most phone scams follow a handful of scripts: the IRS agent threatening arrest, the Medicare “verification”, the bank's “fraud department” asking for a PIN, the prize that needs a fee, the tech-support call, and the grandchild in trouble who needs money wired today. Bruno is built to hear those patterns and not play along. His scam recognition is best-effort: he's an extra set of ears, not a guarantee.