Caregiver FAQ
Everything you need to know before protecting your parent from scam calls.
Does my parent know the app is listening?
CallShield works through a dedicated CallShield phone number that forwards to your parent's real phone. Every incoming call routes through that line first. Your parent knows their phone number has changed — you tell them — but CallShield operates silently in the background: they just answer as normal and never hear a prompt, a bot, or an interruption.
What happens to legitimate calls?
Calls from numbers you've added to the Trusted Contacts whitelist ring straight through without any delay or screening. For unknown numbers, CallShield's AI listens during the first 15 seconds of the live call. If nothing suspicious is detected, the call continues uninterrupted. Only calls that score above the scam-risk threshold are flagged or blocked.
How does the scam detection actually work?
While a call is in progress, CallShield's AI analyzes the audio in real time — listening for patterns common to social-engineering scripts: artificial urgency ("act now or lose your benefits"), authority impersonation ("this is the IRS"), and pressure tactics. The score is computed while the caller is still speaking, so a scam can be stopped before your parent says a word. You see the AI's reasoning and the risk score in the Call Log after each call. See how CallShield detects these scams at How it works.
Can I listen to recordings or read transcripts?
Yes. Every captured call appears in the Call Log on your dashboard. Each entry shows the caller ID, timestamp, AI risk score, and a brief AI-generated summary of what triggered the flag. The full transcript is available on the call detail page. CallShield does not store raw audio recordings — only the text transcript and the AI analysis.
How do billing and cancellation work?
CallShield is $19/month or $149/year, billed through a secure payment processor. There is no contract. You can cancel any time directly from your dashboard — go to the Dashboard, find the Subscription section, and click "Cancel subscription." Cancellation takes effect immediately and you will not be charged again.
What are the most common scams targeting seniors?
Seven phone scams hit older adults far more often than anything else: grandchild emergency calls demanding wire transfers or gift cards, IRS / Social Security impersonation threats of arrest or benefit suspension, Medicare / health impersonation calls about new cards or "free supplies," bank impersonation calls about suspicious activity, urgent account threats, verification codes, or transfers, tech-support refund schemes asking for remote access to the computer, romance scams that move from online messages to urgent phone calls for money, and sweepstakes "you've won" pitches that ask for up-front fees. Each one shares the same shape: a stranger creates urgency, demands secrecy, and asks for payment or sensitive information. The single best advice for any of them is hang up and call you — a real family member, a real agency, or a real friend, on a number your parent already knows. For the back-tax version, read the IRS impersonation scam guide; for the new-card and free-supplies script, read the Medicare / health impersonation scam guide; for the fake fraud-department call, read the bank impersonation scam guide. See the full guide, including what each one sounds like and the exact red flags to listen for, at Common scam patterns targeting seniors.