If the words don't match
When the two words announced are not on your screen, modAmi has you do five things in order: say nothing, give nothing, write it down, hang up, call back the saved number. If what you wrote down cannot wait, the app shows the emergency numbers of your country.
A failed verification is not a detail: it is the only information you need. There is nothing to guess, nothing to decide in a hurry. The app guides you step by step; here is the same path, to read calmly.
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What to do if the words don't match?
Don't say any of your words
It is up to the caller to announce theirs, both at once. Never confirm one word on its own, never complete, never "give a hint" to anyone. Someone who doesn't know the words will try to make you say them.
Give nothing, do nothing
No money, no code, no address, no photo of a card. Even if the voice is right, even if the person cries, even if they say they are about to be cut off. One sentence is enough: "I'll call you back to take care of your problem."
Write down what needs sorting out, then hang up
Ask: "Tell me in one sentence what needs sorting out." Write it down. Then hang up yourself. Nothing gets decided during this call.
Call back on their saved number
Dial yourself the number you know, the one in your address book. An incoming call is not your callback, even if it shows their number: a number can be spoofed. The callback is you calling, and nothing else.
- They answer and both their words are on your screen: it really is them, take care of what you wrote down.
- Someone else answers: ask them to have your loved one call you back, without mentioning the call you received.
- Nobody answers: try again in a few minutes. Look for someone who can see them in person, a neighbour, a colleague, a loved one.
If what you wrote down cannot wait
A hospital admission, someone to pick up, a deadline within the hour: don't wait for them to call back. Contact the organisation yourself through its official contact details, never through a number given during the call. In case of danger, call the emergency services.
The app shows the emergency numbers of the country you are in, for more than two hundred countries.
Someone is calling "on behalf of" your loved one?
A carer, a police officer, a colleague: don't ask them for your loved one's words, and don't accept words they would relay. Write down who they say they are, for which organisation, where your loved one is, what needs doing and by when. Hang up, then check yourself with the organisation.
The same path, screen by screen
You don't have to remember this page. As soon as you tap “Their 2 words are different”, the app takes over: one question per screen, one single thing to do, and the next step appears once it's done.
Words that don't match don't always mean someone is lying to you. In the meantime: no money, no code, no information about you.
Them, someone calling for them, or it isn't clear: three answers, and the app picks what comes next.
The button dials the number from your address book. An incoming call is not your callback, even if it shows their number.
Hang up, call the emergency services: the app shows those of the country you are in, and waits for you to confirm they have been reached.
Where this guide comes from, and what hackers do with your data
The kitchen memo
Print this page: the paper version keeps only the essentials, in large print. The loved one who set up the app fills in the last line by hand.
1. I never say my words. It is up to them to tell me theirs, both at once.
2. Both their words are on my screen? It really is them. If not, I give nothing and I do nothing.
3. I say "I'll call you back", and I hang up myself.
4. I call back on the number I know. A call that comes in is not my callback.
5. In danger: 17 or 112. To talk about a scam: Info Escroqueries, 0 805 805 817, free (France).