Vishing is a type of phishing attack that uses phone calls to trick people into giving up personal information.
Advanced vishing attackers can even spoof phone numbers. Phone number spoofing is when the caller intentionally changes their caller ID information to make it appear as if they are a different person or organization to help gain your trust.
Common vishing red flags include:
- Unexpected calls from authority figures or companies
- Your supervisor, banks, utility companies, the IRS, etc.
- Unknown numbers
- Urgent tone
- Short timelines
- Requests for personal information
- MFA Codes, account numbers, credit card information, birthday, etc.
- Requests to purchase gift cards
If you receive a call from someone and you’re not sure if it’s real or vishing:
- Hang up the phone.
- Contact the company directly using a verified communication channel listed on their official website or app.
- Make sure you are speaking to a legitimate company representative before discussing any issues.
For more information about vishing scams, visit our Cybersecurity webpage.