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Voice Phishing Rising In Threat
David Utter
Staff Writer
2008-06-13
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Vishing, or voice over Internet Protocol phishing, attempts to steal information from people via the phone rather than the computer.
 | | Voice Phishing Rising In Threat |  |
People who have come to view their email inboxes with a level of skepticism and caution may not have the same defensive mindset in place when it comes to the phone. It's something more criminals are taking advantage of now.
Security vendor Trend Micro said such attacks continue to increase in number. Since being noted in 2006, vishing escalated to the point in January 2008 where the FBI cited its rise in an Internet Crime Center advisory:
The IC3 has received multiple reports on different variations of this scheme known as "vishing". These attacks against US financial institutions and consumers continue to rise at an alarming rate.
Vishing operates like phishing by persuading consumers to divulge their Personally Identifiable Information (PII), claiming their account was suspended, deactivated, or terminated. Recipients are directed to contact their bank via telephone number provided in the e-mail or by an automated recording. Upon calling the telephone number, the recipient is greeted with "Welcome to the bank of ..." and then requested to enter their card number in order to resolve a pending security issue. Trend Micro now cited evidence of a toolkit in the wild that makes it easier for criminals to perpetrate vishing schemes. People should limit their calls to financial institutions to the numbers provided on their bank cards or authentic statements; a new number could be a lead to a trap.
About the Author:
David Utter is a business and technology writer for SecurityProNews and WebProNews.
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