● Piloting with Sound Credit Union · Washington State
Scam protection that works during the call.
Phone scams and cloned voices work because they happen live. Scout listens quietly in the background of your normal calls, checks both what the caller says and whether their voice is AI-generated, and puts a scammer on hold before the money moves.
It also catches scam texts and phishing emails. For Sound Credit Union members, on iPhone, in English and Spanish.
What happens on a protected call
Five steps, from the first ring to getting help.
1 of 5
A normal call
Your phone rings like always, with the caller's real number, even when locked. The keypad works. The caller hears a short notice that the call is protected.
2 of 5
Two checks
Live transcription plus Claude listens for 7 scam tactics in context, while an AI-voice detector checks how the caller's voice was made.
3 of 5
Caller on hold
At 85% scam confidence, or an AI voice together with scam signs, the caller is put on hold and you privately hear why. Sound CU sees it live.
4 of 5
Safe Reconnect
One tap drops the caller completely and calls Sound Credit Union or a person you saved in advance.
5 of 5
Recovery
Already paid or shared something? Scout gives you clear next steps and tracks them with you.
Scam texts and emails, checked too
Phishing doesn't only call. The same scam analysis that listens to calls also checks texts and emails, then tells you plainly what it found.
Scam text filter
Clear scam texts from unknown numbers go straight to Junk. Texts from your contacts are never checked.
Email check
Connect Gmail and Scout labels phishing emails, like a fake Sound CU security notice, before you click.
Check a message
Paste a text, email, link or number, or share a screenshot. A plain answer in about 4 seconds.
● Built · being tested before the pilot
Turning it on takes under a minute
Scout lives inside the Sound Credit Union app. Four taps, about 45 seconds, and calls from unknown numbers are protected.
1 · 10 s
Tap Turn on
Members see Scout's card right in the Sound CU app they already use. Nothing new to download or sign up for.
2 · 15 s
Agree in plain words
Three short points, then the privacy policy and terms of use. One button agrees to both.
3 · 15 s
Allow on iPhone
Allow alerts, then one tap turns on call forwarding to Scout. Scout dials the carrier code for you, and your number stays the same.
4 · 5 s
Protected
Done. Saved contacts ring like always; unknown numbers get Scout listening in the background.
⏱ About 45 seconds in total
How Scout decides
Two independent checks listen to the same call. Either can raise a flag, and each keeps the other honest: an automated phone menu has a computer voice but asks for nothing risky, so it isn't treated as a scam.
What is being said
- Deepgram transcribes both sides live (English and Spanish, text about half a second after each phrase)
- Claude (Anthropic) reads the conversation for the 7 scam tactics, in context
- Flag: scam confidence
Catches the script: “don't tell Mom”, “wire it today”, gift cards.
How the voice was made
- Short slices of the caller's audio go to the neural vocoder artifact screener
- It looks for the artifacts neural vocoders leave in cloned speech
- Flag: possible AI-generated voice
Catches the cloned grandchild, even when the words sound normal.
When Scout is 85% sure, or the voice is flagged during a risky conversation, it puts the caller on hold and tells you why, privately. Sound Credit Union sees the call live and can step in.
On for calls from unknown numbers. Members turn it on inside the app after agreeing to the privacy policy and terms.
What runs a protected call
- SignalWire · Phone number and the call itself
- Twilio · Rings the Scout iPhone app like a normal call
- Deepgram · Live transcription, English and Spanish
- Claude · Reads the conversation for scam tactics
- Neural vocoder artifact screener · AI-voice detection
- Supabase + Vercel · Data, the website and the Sound CU portal
Checks the voice, honestly
Scout's neural vocoder artifact screener checks short slices of the caller's audio for the artifacts voice-cloning software leaves behind. It gives one of three answers, never claiming certainty, and it's read together with the conversation so an honest automated menu isn't treated as a scam.
● Result 1/3
Possible synthetic speech detected
Signs of AI-generated audio. Scout warns you: verify independently before sending money or sharing information.
○ Result 2/3
No synthetic indicators detected
Nothing found, and the caller's identity is still unverified. This is never a “verified human” label.
○ Result 3/3
Unable to assess reliably
Too little audio, poor quality, or the detector isn't available. Scout says so instead of guessing.
Safety tools for you and your family
○ Family
Trusted helpers
A family member gets an alert call and a private page with only what you choose to share.
● New
Family code word
A word only your family knows. If a caller claims to be family, Scout listens for it.
● New
Payment hold
After a risky call, ask Sound Credit Union to pause outgoing transfers for 24 to 72 hours.
● New
Practice calls
Safe scam drills in the app, so you know what a warning sounds like before you need it.
● New
Verified calls from Sound CU
When Sound CU really calls you, Scout says so first, privately, before you're connected.
● New
Community number shield
If a number already got other members warned, Scout tells you before you answer.
Honest about what it can't do
- Scout protects only calls that go through Scout, not WhatsApp, FaceTime, or other calling apps.
- A missing warning never means a call is safe.
- Caller ID and a familiar voice are never proof of identity.
- Scout never hangs up for you and never moves, blocks, or recovers money.
Your calls stay yours
Callers hear a consent notice first. Call audio is analyzed as it streams and isn't saved as a recording. You choose how long transcripts are kept, and nothing goes to your credit union or helpers without your OK.
Privacy and dataFor Sound Credit Union staff
When a member uses Safe Reconnect, an available employee takes the call, and the member's authorized case is waiting in the employee portal.