Vishing (Voice Phishing)
Also known as: phone phishing, voice phishing, phone scam
Phishing over the phone. Scammers call pretending to be from your bank, a government agency, or a tech company, using social engineering to trick you into revealing personal information, financial details, or transferring money.
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How it works
Vishing has grown 442% year-over-year according to industry reports, driven by AI voice cloning and caller ID spoofing that makes calls appear legitimate.
The pretext: The caller claims to be from a trusted entity — your bank, Social Security, Medicare, the IRS, Apple, Microsoft. Caller ID often shows the real phone number of the organization (spoofed). They know enough about you (from data breaches) to sound legitimate.
The manufactured crisis: Your account has been compromised. Fraudulent charges are in progress. Your benefits will be suspended. A warrant has been issued for your arrest.
The 'solution': They walk you through 'securing your account,' 'verifying your identity,' or 'making a payment to resolve the issue.' In reality, they're extracting credentials, account numbers, or money.
The payment channels: Wire transfer, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or 'safekeeping' transfers to 'government accounts.' All untraceable.
AI-powered vishing: Scammers now clone voices of real executives, family members, or brand representatives using 3-10 seconds of audio from public sources. This makes verification by 'recognizing the voice' useless.
Warning signs
- ⚠Unexpected call from your bank, a government agency, or tech company
- ⚠Caller ID shows the real organization's number (doesn't prove legitimacy)
- ⚠Urgency about fraud, account closure, or legal action
- ⚠Request to transfer money to a 'safe' account
- ⚠Request to install software on your computer
- ⚠Demands for gift cards or wire transfer
- ⚠Threats of arrest or benefit suspension
- ⚠Caller refuses to let you call back through an official number
Who does this target?
Where does it happen?
What to do if you've encountered this
- 1.Stop all contact with the scammer immediately. Do not respond, do not send more money, do not try to "reason" with them.
- 2.Document everything — screenshots of conversations, phone numbers, email addresses, websites, and any transaction details.
- 3.If money was sent, contact your bank immediately. Wire and ACH reversals are measured in hours, not days.
- 4.Report the scam to the appropriate agencies:
Warning: After any scam, watch out for "recovery scammers" who promise to get your money back for an upfront fee. They are always a second scam. See our recovery scam warning guide.
Related scam patterns
Tech Support Scam
A popup or cold call claims your computer is infected and urges you to contact 'tech support.' The scammer takes remote control of your computer, runs fake scans showing nonexistent problems, and charges hundreds of dollars to 'fix' them — while sometimes installing real malware.
Phishing
Scammers impersonate legitimate companies (your bank, Amazon, Microsoft, the IRS) via email to trick you into clicking a malicious link, entering login credentials on a fake site, or opening an infected attachment.
Smishing (SMS Phishing)
Phishing delivered via text message. Common variants include fake USPS/FedEx delivery notices, fake bank fraud alerts, fake toll road bills, and fake IRS warnings — all designed to push victims to click malicious links.
