Vishing

Glossary

What is Vishing?

Vishing, a combination of “voice” and “phishing,” is a pervasive type of social engineering in which fraudsters use phone calls to trick people into exposing personal information like passwords or credit card data.

In order to trick victims, these fake calls frequently pose as respectable organisations like banks, governments, or technical support teams. Through the creation of false and frightening scenarios—like impending account freezes or legal repercussions—the criminals force unsuspecting people to provide personal information quickly. Caller ID spoofing is one of the methods used in this activity to give the impression of legitimacy and authenticity.

Common Forms of Vishing Attacks

  1. Impersonation: Attackers impersonate trusted entities such as banks, government agencies, or tech support services to gain credibility and trust.
  2. Urgency: The fraudsters create a sense of urgency by claiming that immediate action is necessary to prevent negative consequences like account closure or legal action.
  3. Request for Information: Scammers solicit personal details such as credit card information, account passwords, or other sensitive data under false pretences.
  4. Spoofing: Caller ID spoofing is used to display a legitimate organisation’s number, enhancing the perceived authenticity of the call.
  5. Pretexting: Prior research on the victim allows scammers to personalise the scam, citing known personal details like the victim’s name or address to appear more convincing.

These strategies use urgency, trust, and the impression of legitimacy to trick people into disclosing private information. Being vigilant and aware is crucial to preventing oneself from becoming a victim of vishing attacks.

Protect Yourself From Vishing Attacks

  1. Never divulge any personal information over the phone without first confirming the caller’s identity. Hang up the phone as soon as you get a questionable call purporting to be from a bank, government agency, or other establishment. Next, carefully locate the official phone number of the organisation and give them a call back to verify the authenticity of the request.
  2. Unwanted phone calls requesting private information should be avoided, particularly if the caller is putting pressure on you to give answers right away or is threatening you with dire consequences. Trusted companies do not usually ask for private information over the phone, including passwords or Social Security numbers.
  3. By registering your phone number with the National Do Not Call Registry, you can reduce the number of unwanted telemarketing calls and potentially limit exposure to vishing attempts.
  4. Make use of the call-blocking capabilities that many phones and mobile providers offer. You can stop repeated efforts at vishing by using these tools, which let you block particular phone numbers or call categories.
  5. Inform people, including yourself, about typical fraud and vishing techniques. Being attentive is crucial in order to spot strange calls and avoid falling for social engineering scams. Keep up with the latest vishing tactics to enhance your personal information security.

How can iZOOlogic help my Company or Organisation?

Find out how iZOOlogic can protect you against the threats of vishing with the Anti-Vishing solutions.

To find out more about how iZOOlogic can help protect your company’s cyber security, schedule a demo.