What is Vishing?

A Vishing Scam is similar to a Phishing scam where someone tries to trick you into giving them personal information (usually password of financial information)by spoofing that they are a company such as paypal or ebay. An adversary using Vishing is trying to accomplish the same thing but instead of using the internet, they are using a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) based telephone system. VoIP telephones are used when you subscribe to Vonage or a related system. The attackers do not use Vonage, rather they use a VoIP server call system that they have set up.

How does it work?

Part I

You receive an automated phone call from a source, lets say your bank. The Call ID on your phone shows the name of your bank. The phone call is a recording stating that there is a problem with your account and to please call the bank at the following number: 555-555-5555. This is a number that the scammer setup.

Part II

You call the number that they provided. The call is answered by an answering service that sounds just like the one at your bank. You are then prompted for your name and account information. At this point you have been had, and the scammer has your information.

What to do?

If you receive a call like this one, do not use the phone number that they provided. Rather, use a phone number that you know is good for the bank like the one on your statement or the one on the back of your debit card. Call the bank using one of the numbers that you trust and ask them about any fraudulent activity. Also, let them know that you were the target of a Vishing scam.

Learn more about this author, Marc Rader.
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