Vishing
is a scam technique that involves the use of voice over Internet protocol (VoIP
-A Voice over Internet Protocol phone is a type of phone that uses digital
technology to transmit phone calls via the Internet.) to convince people that
they are interacting with a legitimate business so they will turn over personal
information. Consumers can take a number of steps to protect themselves from
vishing
attempts and a number of public safety organizations, as well as financial
institutions, provide people with information about this tactic and how to avoid
becoming a victim.
In some forms of
vishing,
the scammer uses caller identification spoofing ( Spoofing is, generally, the
act of one person pretending to be someone else, usually in an effort to scam
someone ) to make a VoIP phone number look like a legitimate, recognized
number. Both the number and the name associated with it can be changed with some
programs, allowing scammers to make their calls appear to be originating from a
real institution. Because VoIP is cheap, scammers can dial hundreds or thousands
of numbers at once. When they make contact, they inform the person on the other
end that an account has been compromised, and ask for verifying information such
as account numbers and personal identification numbers
Other forms involve sending out an email
purporting to be from a financial institution or another trusted entity,
directing people to call a phone number and provide information when prompted.
The phone number dials through to a VoIP account that usually uses a recording
to prompt the caller to submit account information and other data. No matter
which method is used, once the data has been collected, the visher can use it
for a variety of illegitimate transactions.
Vishing
can be used in identity theft, scams intended to clean out bank accounts, and
other activities. It takes advantage of the fact that while many consumers are
more wary about email, thanks to extensive public awareness campaigns, many
people trust phones, particularly landline phones. Phone service is believed to
be linked with a physical address and a real person that the phone company can
bill and so people often assume that phone calls are legitimate.
