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Vishing: A New Name for an Old Trick
Posted on Feb 27, 2007 by Michelle Pastor
Vishing refers to voice-phishing to get a victim’s vital information. It happens when an identity thief poses as a customer service rep from a bank or credit card company and calls to ask the victim to verify their information. The caller manages to get all the information he needs to access accounts or steal an identity. Today, vishing is often done over the internet, using voice over IP (VOIP), making tracing the calls nearly impossible.
By the way, the elderly are especially vulnerable to this scam. Whether it is because they are more trusting or because they don’t feel comfortable hanging up on a suspicious caller, if they knew that a caller asking for information is potentially an identity thief, they can prevent it. This is a reminder to talk with your elderly friends and family members to warn them of the dangers of giving out their information.
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