What is Vishing? How to recognize and avoid voice phishing scams

You’ve likely heard about phishing, a social engineering tactic designed to trick victims into disclosing their personal information using fraudulent messages that impersonate legitimate contacts. It’s a serious threat that can lead to identity and financial fraud.

Phishing has evolved significantly in recent years, diversifying its tactics to suit various platforms and communication mediums. One of those permutations of phishing is vishing, where the “v” stands for voice. Vishing is a phishing attack that uses voice to impersonate a legitimate contact over the telephone or voice messaging apps.

In this post, we will look at what vishing attacks are, how they work, and what you can do to avoid them.

What is vishing?

All phishing attacks use manipulation and social engineering tactics to trick victims into giving up valuable information. They typically try to create a false sense of urgency using false time constraints to elicit an emotional reaction in the victim and get them to bypass their rational thought processes. Voice scams are no exception. With vishing, the bad actors don’t come at you through your inbox or social media. Instead, they target you directly through your phone, whether that’s a voice call or a voice message.

The way it works is relatively simple, but its consequences can have broad ramifications. The attacker in a vishing attack will impersonate a legitimate organization, like your bank or a government agency. They’ll spin a convincing tale, playing on your emotions to get you to reveal sensitive information, such as account numbers, passwords, or even your Social Security Number. They use high-pressure tactics and an official-sounding tone to add a veneer of authority in an attempt to make you feel like you have no choice but to comply.

What makes vishing so insidious is that it exploits our inherent trust in voice communication. When someone calls us on the phone, our natural instinct is to believe that they are who they claim to be. Vishers leverage that trust, disguising their true identity through caller ID spoofing or voice-altering technology to sound like a real representative.

The scale of vishing attacks is staggering. Cybercriminals can automate the process, blasting out thousands of calls at a time and waiting for the vulnerable ones to bite. Some even use pre-recorded messages to deliver their pitch, making it seem like a legitimate customer service line. It’s a numbers game, and they know that just having a tiny percentage of victims fall for their scheme can lead to a massive payoff.

The consequences of vishing can be devastating. Once you’ve handed over your personal information, it’s a short hop to identity theft, financial fraud, and other crimes. Vishers can drain your bank accounts, open new credit cards in your name, or even file fraudulent tax returns. Undoing the damage can be a long, arduous process.

Identifying vishing scams

Identifying a vishing attempt is pretty straightforward, especially when considering the call’s context. Here’s how a typical vishing exchange might unfold:

1. Your phone rings, and the caller ID displays a number that shares your area code or even shows the name of a familiar business.
2. Assuming it’s a legitimate call, you answer with a friendly greeting.
3. On the other end, a distinctly robotic voice informs you that your bank account has been compromised.
4. You’re then instructed to call a specific number to secure your account.
5. The urgency is palpable; you’re told to act quickly to prevent losing all your money. If you just call back or provide your account information, they assure you they can help block any fraudulent transactions before they happen.

I’m not sure about you, but I’ve received a similar call to the one above dozens of times just this year. While some scammers utilize sophisticated voice synthesis technology, most rely on more traditional methods of persuasion to coax their victims into compliance. Common vishing scenarios you might encounter include:

• Claims of fraud or suspicious activity on your bank account
• Notices of overdue or unpaid taxes from the IRS, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), or other tax authorities
• Notifications about prize or contest winnings, like a cruise or an “all-expenses-paid” vacation
• Calls from fake tech support claiming they need to remotely access your computer to resolve an issue
• Calls about your vehicle’s warranty expiring
• Impersonations of government agencies, such as courts or law enforcement

For businesses, vishing scammers often take a more personal approach, putting real people at risk. They may warn about suspicious bank transfers or pose as representatives of IT support services. Their ultimate goal is to gain access to your financial information or office network.

Common vishing scams you should be aware of

Here are the most common vishing scams to be aware of:

• Bank impersonation: In this scam, callers pose as representatives from your bank, claiming they’ve detected suspicious activity on your account. They may ask for your PIN or other sensitive information to “secure” your account. While they might sound professional and even have specific details about your account, it’s crucial to remember that legitimate banks never request sensitive information over the phone.
• IRS or Government Agency scams: Scammers impersonate IRS agents or representatives from other government agencies, threatening victims with immediate legal action for unpaid taxes. They often claim that failure to pay will result in a warrant for arrest. However, the truth is that the IRS will never contact you unexpectedly by phone; they always initiate communication through official mail first.
• Tech support scams: In this scenario, fraudsters call individuals, often targeting older adults, claiming they’ve detected a virus on their computer. They request login details or remote access to “fix” the issue. It’s essential to note that legitimate tech companies will never request passwords or remote access unless you have initiated contact.
• Medicare or social security scams: These scams typically ramp up during enrollment periods, with scammers posing as government representatives. They may request your Social Security number or bank details under the pretense that it’s required to process your benefits. Always be cautious and verify the identity of anyone requesting such sensitive information.
• Prize or award scams: In this type of scam, victims receive calls informing them that they’ve won a prize, such as a vacation or a large sum of money. However, to claim the prize, they are asked to provide credit card information to cover taxes or fees. If an offer sounds too good to be true, it likely is.

Avoiding vishing scams

Here are some practical tips to help you steer clear of vishing scams and protect your personal information:

• Be skeptical of unknown callers: If you receive a call from a number you don’t recognize, approach it with caution. Legitimate organizations typically won’t ask for sensitive information over the phone.
• Verify the caller’s identity: If someone claims to be from your bank or a government agency, hang up and call back using a number you know is genuine. This ensures you’re speaking with the real organization.
• Don’t share personal information: Never provide personal details, such as your Social Security number, bank account information, or passwords, over the phone, especially if you didn’t initiate the call.
• Establish a password to use with loved ones: Create a secret code word or phrase that you share with family members and other people you’re close with. In the event of a real emergency, people of interest will know the password. If a caller claims to need help but can’t provide the password, you can be sure it’s a scam.
• Watch for red flags: Be wary of callers who create a sense of urgency or pressure you to act quickly. Scammers often use fear tactics to manipulate their victims.
• Use Caller ID with caution: While caller ID can be helpful, it can also be spoofed. Just because a number appears familiar doesn’t mean it’s legitimate.
• Educate yourself and others: Stay informed about the latest vishing tactics and share this knowledge with friends and family. Awareness is one of the best defenses against scams.
• Report suspicious calls: If you receive a vishing call, report it to your local authorities or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). This helps raise awareness and can aid in tracking down scammers.
• Consider call blocking tools: Many smartphones and service providers offer call-blocking features. Utilize these tools to reduce the number of unwanted calls you receive.

General tips to keep you and your accounts safe online

While not all of the tips below directly apply to vishing attacks, they nonetheless always apply. You should follow them regardless of whether you’re looking to avoid one particular threat or another.

• Be conservative with your PII online. Don’t sign up for everything. Don’t hand out your details to every site you encounter. Only share your information with sites and services you trust.
• Use a burner email for frivolous services. You can easily find email alias services that allow you to use burner addresses to sign up for online services. That makes your actual email much less likely to be compromised (and will also limit spam).
• Don’t open attachments in emails unless you know who the sender is and have confirmed with that person that they sent you the email. You should also ensure they know the email contains an attachment and understand what the attachment is.
• Don’t click links (URLs) in emails unless you can confirm who sent you the link and its destination. Contacting the sender through an alternative channel (not email) may also be beneficial to ensure the sender is not impersonated. Also, check the link for incorrect spelling (faceboook instead of Facebook or goggle instead of Google)? If you can reach the destination without using the link, do that instead.
• Use a firewall. All major operating systems have built-in incoming firewalls, and all commercial routers on the market provide a built-in NAT firewall. Enable both. You’ll thank me if you click a malicious link.
• Use an antivirus program – Only purchase genuine and well-reviewed antivirus software from legitimate vendors. Keep your antivirus updated and set it up to run frequent scans and real-time monitoring.
• Keep your operating system updated – You want the latest OS updates. They contain the latest security patches that will fix any known vulnerabilities. Make sure you install them as soon as they’re available.
• Never click on pop-ups. Ever. Pop-ups are just bad news—you never know where they will lead you.
• Don’t give in to “warning fatigue” if your browser displays yet another warning about a website. Web browsers are becoming more secure every day, which tends to raise the number of security prompts they display. Still, you should take those warnings seriously. So, if your browser displays a security prompt about a URL you’re attempting to visit, pay attention to your browser’s warning and get your information elsewhere. That’s especially true if you click a link you received by email or SMS – it could send you to a malicious site. Do not disregard your computer’s warning prompts.

Wrapping up

Vishing attacks target both individuals and businesses, and their consequences can be devastating. As technology evolves, so do the tactics employed by scammers, so staying up-to-date on the latest threats and tactics will be critical moving forward.

Be skeptical of unsolicited phone calls, whatever the medium, that claim to be from legitimate organizations. Hopefully, the advice provided in this post will help you avoid falling victim to vishing attacks.

Stay safe.