Vishing
Vishing is a phone scam in which the attacker poses as a trusted organisation or person to obtain confidential data, money or account access
What it means, how it is used and where it comes up, with its related concepts.
What it is and how it works
The name blends “voice” and “phishing”. The call may be made by a person or an automated system, and it is often combined with other channels: a text or email asking the victim to call a number, or a call that appears to come from the bank thanks to caller ID spoofing. The pretext is usually urgent: a suspicious charge, an account problem or a supposed technical issue.
It differs from email phishing and SMS-based smishing in its main channel. Recent variants use AI-cloned voices to imitate relatives or senior managers.
The usual advice is never to share codes or passwords over the phone and to hang up and call the organisation back on an official number.
Also known as
Voice phishing
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