Phishing, SMishing & Vishing
What the heck is Phishing, Smishing & Vishing you may be asking yourself? Well, it’s not sitting on a dock on a sunny day while your feet are dangling in the water and you have a fishing pole waiting to catch the big one! It’s new tactics that criminals use to steal your personal information.
In today’s struggling economy, many would-be thieves are using a variety of technical techniques to gather personal information about you. Phishing, Smishing & Vishing are done using the products we use every day, and for the most part, when used properly, we are not even aware that we just became a victim until after the fact. Different forms of Identity Theft are becoming more and more complicated these days and you had better take control by understanding the techniques and protect yourself and your assets before it’s to late!
Phishing is the most common form used by scammers of these three. It is usually done by creating fake e-mails, instant messaging and websites to lure unsuspecting people to enter in their personal information.
When you think about the word phishing, I want you to think about bait. The techniques these criminals are using are so sophisticated that even the seasoned internet pro may not question the validity of this request for information.
Phishing scams come in many forms, but are usually done through an e-mail telling you that your “URGENT” attention is needed or something bad could happen. They pray on your fear that something even worse could happen if you don’t take action. This is where they lay out the bait hoping to lure you in.
This could be their attempt to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, credit card information and much more. They represent themselves as trustworthy entities that you know of such as popular social web sites, auction sites, online payment processors or even IT administrators. Anytime someone asks you for any personal information without you initiating the contact, you should question the validity of that request.
SMishing Do you think that you have to use a computer to fall victim to these scams? NOPE! Not anymore with all the mobile devices we have these days. The name SMishing is derived from “SMs + phISHING”. SMS (Short Message Service) is the technology used for text messages that is typically used for cell phones. SMishing is where these scammers are using the same techniques used in phishing, but are targeting mobile devices to get you to reveal your personal information.
Text messages are the common tactics for “SMishing.” In these text messages, you might be asked to validate whether or not you just signed up for an “Adult” website that costs $39.95 per month and unless you cancel this request by clicking on the attached link, you agree that you ordered this service and will be billed at your mailing address.
Not thinking that this might be a scam, your only thought is that you don’t want anything to do with this so you immediately click the link to correct this outrageous error. That’s where they just got you!!! You clicked on the link and that is the only thing they wanted you to do. At this point, they just launched a worm or a malware virus on your device. That being the case, all your contacts may be the future victims of a different scam that looks like it was sent by you.
Other forms of new SMishing techniques are downright intrusive. Once downloaded on your mobile device, spyware can eavesdrop on all your conversations gathering more and more personal information about you.
This information is then used to create duplicate credit/debit/ATM cards. There are documented cases where information entered on a fraudulent website used in these scams was used to create a credit or debit card that was used halfway around the world, within 30 minutes.
Most SMishing messages will show that it came from “5000″ instead of displaying a real phone number. This usually indicates it to be a SMS message that was sent via email to the cell phone. If you see this 5000 number from someone, proceed with Extreme Caution!
Vishing is yet another practice that criminals use to steal the most important thing you posses, your personal information. The term “Vishing” is a combination of “voice” and “phishing.” Vishing is when crooks use a telephone system that uses a Voice over IP (VoIP). Most of the time, these thieves are hidden behind a computer that use this technique to mask their true identity. With the right technology and practices, it can seem as though it is a truly legitimate service or company that is on the other end.
Vishing is usually used for financial gain, but if used effectively by the crooks, the content they can obtain using these methods, is a sea of endless possibilities.
This tactic of Vishing is typically used to steal credit card numbers or other personal information used in identity theft schemes from around the world. Even though legal authorities are very much aware of this scam, it is almost impossible for them to monitor or trace down the culprits.
Skype, Vonage and other VoIP systems are becoming more and more prevalent these days since we have faster data speeds. That being the case, people that wouldn’t ordinarily commit these types of scams, are finding that if done effectively, it can become financially very rewarding with very little chance of getting caught!
With the internet, mobile devices and with faster and faster data speeds all on the rise, these thieves are using technology to their full advantage. You may have a lot of information coming your way in your in-boxes, on your phone and etc…, but it is up to you to decipher whether the request or entity is legit or not.
Be suspicious if you ever get anything that is requesting you to enter in your personal information. Rather than provide any information, I would suggest that you first contact the company/service or agency directly and see if this is something that is really required or was it a scam?
When in Doubt, Don’t Enter your Personal Information, Don’t Click and even better yet, just Don’t Do It!!!
Make sure you safeguard yourself today from these and other forms of Identity Theft!
Hi Dave & Dawn and Happy New Year!
Although I am quite familiar with Phishing, I had never heard about SMishing and Vishing before reading your post. Scary to think how vulnerable we can be with all the advancement in technology. I am one of those who has yet to upgrade to a smart phone, and this info has made me realize that when that happens, I do need to perhaps be a little bit more observant and cautious with my information. I appreciate you sharing!
Christine
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Hey Dave & Dawn, your post sent warning bells ringing!
Just found out about smishing and vishing… It pays to maintain a healthy dose of skepticism while online, though keeping a balance between being totally closed to communication and being way too open to friends is getting harder when choices for communicating on the go keep increasing and getting exploited by scammers simultaneously.
Yasser
Yasser Khan recently posted..Why Deliver
Scary out there isn’t it. Makes me want to get out my original phone from the Forties. Two cans and a waxed string between them. Hmm how far is it to Fla., might have to buy more string and wax. This is a great “Bed” of information that serves us well. Thanks a bunch for educating us.
Nelson recently posted..“Meet me at the Eagle”
Thanks for the info Dave.
Vishing is a new one for me.
But now I do not have to worry about that because I just won a huge UK lottery, just got notified by email
Peter
Peter Fuller @ Home Business Solutions recently posted..How to do Keyword Research for Free
I have certain friends that continuously forward urban legends to me like they are true and, by the way, tell everyone you know. Nom matter how often I suggest they ignore these notices, they still want to send them on to me and a long list of others. It’s friends like that that make me realize how gullible people can be and how susceptible to the types of crimes you mention.
Richard Goutal recently posted..You Can’t Succeed Alone Collaboration is Not Optional
I’ve heard of phishing before, but hadn’t heard of the other two. And I’ve never had anyone explain them before!
I’ve been on the internet for 11 years, and am continually surprised at what I don’t know. Just as I’ve been a blogger for 7 years, but have only begun to learn how to use a blog for business.
Thanks so much!
Willena Flewelling
Wow Dave and Dawn;
You have definitely enlightened me. I have never heard the terms Smishing or Vishing. You have given a wealth of very valuable insights that give us all a heads up so that we can protect ourselves.
Technology sure is giving a lot of opportunities for both good and bad uses. In the end the good will always prevail; but man, what a lot to look out for. Thanks so much for taking the time to inform us of this very important matter.
Keep up the great work Dave and Dawn; you two make an awesome team.
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Hi Dave and Dawn,
I have never heard of Vishing and Smishing so am glad I came across this post! I never, ever open up or respond to all those silly emails marked as urgent; i’ve wised up to those but there is always a chance I could still fall prey to the newer type of scams…I pray not!
Thanks for bringing my attention to this important information!
Denise
Denise recently posted..Your Power
Dawn & Dave:
Great article!…I have read it twice now & taken notes…IMO this could save folks much money & heartache. I knew about Phishing , but very little of Smishing & Vishing.
Thanks so Much
Matt Geib The Great
As an honest citizen (or resident alien in my case) you don’t think much about these practices and that is probably why they work so well. You don’t expect things like phishing, smishing and other …ishings to happen to you. Sad, but true. Thanks for pointing these practices out to us, so we can better armed if and when it happens.
Karin recently posted..7 Facebook promotion strategies
I had never heard of some of these. Thanks guys for educating us more on this kind of stuff. Always great to come here and find out new things to help “educate me”
Hi
Thanks for the great post, I’m forwarding this to my mother and mother-in-law as they call me almost every week asking if an email they received is legit or safe.
The really sad thing about these criminals is that if they applied all the technology and intelligence they seem to posses they could make a great living honestly. Anyway thanks for the great info, I had never heard of Smishing & Vishing.
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Hi Dave and Dawn,
Wow, what a great article! Theft of this nature is such a personal violation it should have serious consequences when caught. I see that it is tough to track these criminals at this time, but I hope technological advances will come to our aid soon!
Right now I have an email notice from PayPal, something about closing my business account if I don’t do something with some attachment. Well, I did not fall for that one. When I get a chance I will log in and make sure everything is okay.
The other one I get all the time is from Craigs List. I had joined and used them about twice in my life, but I am receiving all kinds of crazy emails from Craigs List now. I don’t even open them anymore.
The other thing that they do is hijack your email address and they send out all kinds of spam email from some other server using your email address! There ought to be a way to catch these clowns. If you had junk emails previously, now it’s ten fold!
And you are right…we have to be on our toes all the time, and even then could very possibly get taken. And I would imagine that just like with our health, it is so much better to be proactive, so your remedy would be of great value.
Thanks for the great update!
Linda
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Vishing seems almost identical to me as the practice from a traditional phone line of calling someone up and telling you they’re from a charity and asking you to use your credit card to make a donation to support the charity. The VOIP lines just make this harder than it already was to track (which was not easy). A lot of people fall prey to that because they always use the name of some charity to help some group that tugs at your heart.
Be careful folks!
Kimberly
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Hey Dave/Dawn,
I’ve seen so many phishing emails over the last few years it’s scary! Fortunately I am aware of how they work and I either forward them on to the company they are pretending to be, or I delete them.
I usually get emails from people pretending to be my bank, paypal or other financial services where they ask for my details.
This is still a major issue and many people aren’t aware of people cloning websites so they happily put their details in.
Thank you for posting this to help others understand and increase awareness.
Gavin
Gavin Mountford recently posted..Welcome To The World Charlotte Ann Mountford!
Hi Dave,
Thanks for the heads up on Vishing…its so sad and scary to not have known this to now. However its better late then never. I know many is still probably in the same boat I was in. This is a must share and an absolute value to the marketplace. Keep up the great work and look forward to more of your stuff!
Ruth
I was just on the phone yesterday with someone claiming I can get lower rates for my credit cards. I thought it was one of my credit card companies calling so I answered. It turns out it was a third party company. They then proceeded to ask me personal questions like credit card balances, address, etc. So I told them that if I was pre-approved to get a lower rating, then they should have the information they’re asking me. I finally hang up and didn’t answer it again when they kept calling.
Thanks for this valuable information. Being aware of these different scams is the first step towards protecting yourself from becoming a victim. — Cherrie D. Bautista
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Hi Dave,
This is a great post and everyone who works online or just log in to social networking sites should be aware of such thefts. So scary and this is happening especially on facebook and emails.
Although I have just learned the word “phishing” and “vshing”, your explanation on those words are similar to situations I went through recently. They even hacked your friends account on facebook and chat with you and trying to get personal informations and many other things. This can happen to anyone without we even realised it.
Thank you Dave for this post and I am going to share this on facebook for more people to beware of such activities.
Pearly
PearlyQuah recently posted..Chinese New Year Festival In Malaysia
Hi Dave and Dawn,
I wholeheartedly agree with your other readers…this is a great post. Admittedly, I too, was unaware of the whole “Vishing” thing. It sure seems like the crooks are faster at coming up with schemes than we are at knocking them out. It really gives one pause. Thanks for the education.
Hi Dave and Dawn,
Thanks for keeping everyone’s protection in mind. Great post and one that I hope gets out to as many people as possible. I was the victim of SWishing once and remember having to call Sprint and few times to have a block added to my account.
Great educational post for all of us.
Mike Sweeney – TSA
Hi Dave and Dawn,
thanks for putting this valuable information together. While I knew about phishing, I have been completely unaware of the other two. It’s amazing and frightening what ideas crooks have. In sum I don’t think that there are more crooks on the internet than someplace else.
Take care
Oliver
Oliver Tausend recently posted..Fear Of Loss Of Love – Playing With Love
Hey Dave and Dawn-
Thanks for the enlightening post. Identitiy Theft is not something most think about until it happens to them. I am one of those people who does not think about it much, but in today’s world and my current career choice I probably should be more aware of it. Thanks so much for the information as I had no idea what Smishing and Vishing were. Love the new look of the site!!
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Dave,
Thanks for sharing about these forms of identity fraud, I hadn’t heard about vishing and smishing before. I’ll definitely watch out for them. I had my Skype account compromised about a year ago because I received a message (I thought) from a friend that I was chatting with that required me to re-login and that gave away my login info. I thought I was smarter then that, but we all fall for something. I’m definitely even more cautious now.
Thanks again,
Adam
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Dave and Dawn,
It is really amazing how people just sit around and try to find ways to get your personal information to use illegally for their personal gain. The more advanced we get with technology the more people try to figure out ways around it. I makes you just want to be more careful when I read information like this. Thanks so much for this great info.
Lori
Lori Robertson recently posted..I Am So Tired Of Failing I Am Ready To Quit!
Phishing, SMishing & Vishing, this words are very new to me. about this article, I want to thank you for sharing this because it can help us protect ourselves from scammers. In the philippines a lot of people use phising to get your cellphone load. I think we have to very careful in giving our information on the internet.
Thanks for sharing this article Dave and Dawn
- Ian Valeza
Ian Valeza recently posted..Prospecting approach that can make you lose a potential leader and downline
All I can say is wow! Thanks for the education.I had heard of Phishing but not the other two. So many techies out there that can do way too much and when you add in the dishonest techies we need to be cautious.
Thanks Dave.
Beverly Monical recently posted..Baby Bev Has An Announcement!
Thanks for the tips. Never heard of SMishing before.
Sunish recently posted..Norwegian Star in Alaska
Hi Dave and Dawn,
Great way to help people avoid these awful situations. Identity theft is a huge problem and it seems a lot of people fall for these scams. I didn’t know the terms “smishing” or “vishing” but the act of doing those things has been around. I’m glad you pointed them out in full.
When I get something suspicious, even just slightly suspicious, I check it out thoroughly. For instance, even if I get an email from a bank, CC or Paypal, I don’t click on the link. Instead I go directly there via my usual bookmark. If it’s “real” I’ll find out once I login. If it’s not real, I just saved myself a lot of trouble!
Deb Augur recently posted..To Thank Or Not To Thank rtty
Thanks Dave and Dawn!
Had never heard of SMishing and Vishing. Thanks for making me aware.
My original thought was that the word was made up like fancy smancy.
This is a serious issue to protect our contacts from getting malware.
To Your Genius,
Eiji
Eiji Morishita recently posted..55 Wisdom Quotes Martin Luther King Jr
Dave & Dawn,
Fantastic post!! This article can save a lot of money for a lot of people! It is crazy sometimes that technology is changing so rapidly and the crooks are still keeping up. I had someone call me recently and tell me I won a trip to Florida. When I told him to send me an email and I would look into the “offer” and he kept asking me for a credit card to “reserve” my place he became rude and I hung up on him. Good words to live by “don’t give out information unless you initiated the call.”
I love your blog and what you both stand for and how you educate people in so many different ways. I got so much out of your webinar on taxes and have used all your suggestions. Thank you so much!
God Bless,
Trish
Trish Kirby recently posted..Do you have a plan
Thanks for this information. I had heard of phishing but smishing and vishing I hadn’t heard of. We really have to be on our toes these days.
Melodie Kantner recently posted..Enhance Law of Attraction Affirmations With EFT
Have seen these word but never really knew what they meant. Dave, you did an excellent job of describing these techniques. I am forwarding this to everyone on my personal email list.
Perry A Davis Jr
Music City USA
Perry A Davis Jr recently posted..What is rare and virtually non-existent in the network marketing industry
Wow, very information article…. its amazing how as technology advances, so does criminal behavior.. Thanks for keeping us informed, I will be sharing this with many people.
Deepest,
Jamie
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Dawn and Dave,
These are all something that we all need a constant reminder of because they unfortunately happen all of the time and we are sometimes in such a rush (like checking email real quick) that we may even forget that something could be a scam.
Some of the emails that come from Paypal or credit card companys look so much like the “real” company…it is sometimes hard to realize it is a scam.
Kim Tarr
Wow! It never ends – as technology advances, criminal activity advances right along with it. Like most commentators here – I’d never heard of Vishing and Smishing. Thank you for enhancing my awareness of how to protect myself. I follow a general rule of thumb – if I don’t recognize the sender of an email or text, I don’t open it. I now realize that I should be wary of all types of communication, always proceeding cautiously, especially when it requires a log in or link of any sort. Awesome information, Dave and Dawn. Thanks again!
Dena
Dena-Lynn recently posted..How to Set Work At Home Boundaries
Awesome post! Thanks for sharing this info on all the new ways “they” are out to get us. I am now going to be much more aware of the smishing and vishing. I have been attacked several times by smishing criminals but luckily never gave in and just ignored it. I had never been hit by vishing though, so i am going to for sure keep my eyes glued on this one, especially with skype!
Thanks for sharing and God Bless!
Kyle Nelson
Kyle Nelson recently posted..Find the Positive – Action Conquers Fear
Hey Dave and Dawn,
Thanks for covering this important topic. We have to more on our guard more than ever these days. The thing that gets me, is if these people are so clever and able to use technology in such a way why aren’t they doing to create something amazing and really talented.
Oh well…I will be on the look out for Khissing, Whishing and Dhishing in the new future.
Regards,
Beth
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Hello Dave & Dawn
Once agian you have enlightened us on something most of us have never heard of. So glad you keep a head of these things. Will diffently share tis wiht everyone I can.
Have a Great Day
Chester
Hi Dave and Dawn,
Wow, talk about offering valuable content…thanks for sharing this.
I guess I fall in with most of the crowd who was not aware of Smishing or Vishing. Thanks to you, now I am!!
I am always cautioning my contacts to to be very careful of what they click, because you never know. I’m sure we have all been approached with Phishing scams, but it is amazing how the criminal mind works and if only they would use technology for good, it could be just as profitable.
This is a very serious topic and thanks for enlightening us..
To your continued success,
Marc
Marc Korn recently posted..Decision Making or Procrastination 8 Ways To Become More Decisive
I had a strange e-mail a few weeks ago. The e-mail said it was sent from me. I opened it and I immediately thought to mark it as spam but then thought not because I would be marking my own email address as spam. I found it so odd. How did they send an email to me from me?
There was also a link in the email to find out something but I decided it was best to just do nothing. There really was nothing I could do. They find all kinds of crazy ways to sneak in. Thanks for being our watchdog. Namaste – Nicole~
Nicole Rushin recently posted..On Naming the Bell Jar
Great post with lots of good information. Just today I received a call from what turned out to be a legitimate business, but the woman wanted my information before she would describe what business she was calling from. I refused to give it, but later called the number she left, and found that it was a legitimate business. Getting online is scary enough without having to worry about all the other ways of identity theft. Thanks for alerting us, though. We need to be aware.
A timely reminder of the need to be vigilant when using the internet and mobile phones. The crooks wait for when we have our guard down. When in doubt about an email don’t open it and if it looks official and you’re concerned contact the instituion yourself. It may take more time but it’s a lot safer.
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Dave & Dawn
Thanks again for such an informative topic on Phishing, SMishing & Vishing.
I am aware of crook trying to obtain your personal details through the phones, net and even your mobile phone. What I am not aware is how easily we can be scammed like as fast as 30 minutes and without our knowledge too.
I now have to be more vigilant and cautious with my personal details.
Irene Pereira recently posted..Definition of Leadership
Thanks for the great advice, Dave. One thing I always look for when I think an email is fraudulent, is misspelled words, or awkward phrasing of language. If you see a familiar-looking logo, say from your bank or paypal, but they don’t use your name, or obviously don’t speak English, don’t click on anything. Paypal has a course of action they like us to take when we receive a ficticious email. Just follow the directions.
You always have such good wisdom for our protection – thanks.
Donna Turner
Hello Dave and Dawn
Here in France lately we are being plagued by phishing emails which purport to be from big companies like Orange – France Telecom. It seems that these scammers come up with every more sophisticated methods to dupe people. The emails at the moments are certainly very real looking! I had one just today and our Concierge company has been alerting clients.
Sadie-Michaela Harris recently posted..By: Sadie-Michaela Harris
I have heard of all of these. Lately, my experience has been seeing a lot of phishing schemes, particularly for Paypal and IRS. There are so many things out there to try to fool you that it is really scary. The sad thing is the US government wants us to hand over our private info with some of the legislation after the SOPA/PIPA stuff. This is even scarier.
Nile, I know what you mean and it’s getting worse and worse every day, but a lot of people just don’t seem to care. Technology is good and can also be used for the bad things in life. Our information is already out there and it’s just a matter of what precautions are taken by individuals, companies and the government. to protect it.
Hey Dave,
Woa..scary! I totally forgot until just this minute that a good friend of mine had his SKYPE account hacked, and it was sending .jpg files to all his friends “as him” saying ” Look at this beautiful photo I shot today”..Then when you clicked on the photo..it HACKED YOUR PAYPAL ACCOUNT ATTACHED TO YOUR SKYPE!!!! The guy was able to hit several of my friend’s – friend’s paypals..but not ours thank Goodness. As you know Paypal is linked right into your BANK…ouch!! Something about it looked strange..and I did not click the picture! I picked up the phone and called him to ask if he sent the photo. Unfortunately, he was not able to be reached for a few hours..so those folks got hacked. Lesson: Don’t click anything you are not absolutely sure about it’s sender, and what they are sending.
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It never ceases to amaze me how many ways people can think up to steal things from others. Such vast amounts of effort to go into something that at its core is ugly. I truly have never figured that out. Of course, I am a big believer in the general idea of karma, that our lives pretty much reflect what we give out to others, so there is no way that I am going to take anything from somebody that does not belong to me.
But I guess not everyone thinks like that. No matter, thank you for a great post exposing these various kinds of thievery, I really appreciate that you took the time to put this post together.
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