Tech tips: phishing, smishing and vishing?
Technology offers many benefits but any avenue of contact can provide an opportunity for scammers to gain personal information. It’s not just ‘phishing’ but also ‘vishing’ and ‘smishing’.
Phone scams or ‘vishing’
If you receive a call or voicemail message that’s not expected, and not from someone you know, there is a good chance it could be a scam. Scam phonecalls can also fortuitously intersect with something that is really happening at that time – for example, a fraudulent firm may be calling countless people about their internet connections, or purporting to be from Telstra – if the timing is right and you are actually having an internet or Telstra issue at that time, it can be very easy to be ‘hooked’. If you are wondering about the term, ‘vishing’ is ‘phishing’ by voice.
SMS scams or ‘smishing’
SMS messages that appear to come from a trustworthy source can actually be scams, and link to data capture sites. The term ‘smishing’ has been coined to cover this type of scam, and like ‘vishing’, derives from the word ‘phishing’. Once again, these can take us unawares, especially given the degree to which we can these days receive texts in instances where we may not expect them, for example, relating to health services, special offers or bookings. Many organisations may have our mobile numbers, but it is a good rule of thumb to be very cautious of any links sent by text. If in any doubt – do not click!
Email scams or ‘phishing’
Email scams are growing increasingly sophisticated, appearing to be from ‘almost right’ email addresses, with polished design, and genuine or very credible logos used, together with trusted names and brands. But they can cleverly trick you into clicking on links or attachments that contain malicious software. Even less sophisticated phishing attacks can trick us when we are busy, tired, or distracted – perhaps multitasking or looking at emails on our phone after hours.