Vishing Attack: You could be the next Victim

With one potential call, your curiosity or fear of gaining or losing could lead you to the trap of criminals.

With an increasing wave of advancements in technology and innovation, fraudsters are getting more equipped with the tools that further victimize you and your close ones.

Gathering all internal information by reviewing your surroundings, they showcase extreme credibility in their communication which gets you manipulated to share all possible information to their benefit.

Multiple organizations have adopted advertisements, training, and every possible recourse to extend awareness at a large scale. Furthermore, various legislative actions are also being prepared to subside such attacks by ingraining fear within the attackers.

Let’s understand what is Vishing attack and how scenarios surroundings us could guide us in protecting our data.

What is Vishing Attack

When it comes to answering Vishing Attack, sometimes it becomes confusing for common people. Similar to other socially engineered cybercrime attacks, a vishing attack includes a phone call or a series of phone calls generating a strong trust in the details the attackers communicate. Also termed as voice phishing, phone calls are used to connect with the Victim at one of the stages of performing the fraudulent activity.

Vishing attack targets individuals as well as small or large organizations. In a general scenario, victims are attacked by the impersonation of a government agent or an authorized agency genuinely concerned with their details. The main goal of such attacks is to access your financial accounts, and unlike traditional tactics, they loop in people by presenting severe consequences.

Vishing vs Phishing: What Is the Difference?

Threats and modes of attacks are at their peak with various advancements, which push us to be more cautious while performing any act using technologies. There are several instances where people have suffered a considerable loss using call attacks. Hence, it becomes essential to understand all possible modes to take all precautions and make our close ones aware.

Here we will be discussing the differences between Phishing and Vishing.

Vishing and Phishing have the foundational difference in the mode of communication, and Phishing is carried out through emails, whereas vishing is performed via telephonic conversation. Earlier, Phishing was the only prominent name in Cybercrime, and now different terminologies emerged, such as Smishing and Vishing.

Phishing has been named for the fraudulent activities performed via email. These scam emails look more professional and convincing that it lures recipients to click on the link provided, open the attachment, or share sensitive data compromising your login credentials. It is the most convenient method of gaining unauthorized access to your data.

On the other hand, Vishing is new compared to a Phishing attack, and it’s more active and engaging and doesn’t require much technological information. Another name for Vishing is Spear Vishing, wherein individuals are specifically targeted to obtain personal information. This call attack methodology is backed by fraudsters to access your account number or other sensitive data to allure you into their trap.

Multiple data companies are spreading awareness through various advertisements to deliver much possible information at a large scale.

4 Examples of Vishing Attacks

Creativity in every field hasn’t spared the domain of Cybercrime and is increasing quickly. Herein we are discussing a few examples of Vishing that, in general, is very common but still exists as the most popular form of attack.

1: Bank Agent

In this, the attackers will contact the victims pretending to be the agent of their bank, having all possible information related to your bank account.

2: Loan Offers

In this, massive amounts will be offered at a minimal interest rate to allure you, and in return, they’ll ask about your PAN details or any other financial account information.

3: Healthcare Scam

In this, some of your medicare details will be available with them, and based on it, they’ll trap you in your conversation to submit an amount to continue their health benefits.

4: Electricity Scam

This is the most popular scam of recent times, wherein they personate that they belong to the electricity department and persuade you to pay a considerable amount of electricity bill otherwise electricity will be cut off.

3 Warning Signs of a Vishing Attack

Though there are no specific warning signs related to the vishing attack, there are instances that could help you understand the signs that are crucial in suspecting the attack.

1: Issue in Account

It is pertinent to note that no bank authority will ask for your CVV or Account details. Usually, the fraudsters will contact you and say there is some issue in your bank account, which will be closed if the problem is not resolved. In such circumstances, you must be aware that banks will send you an official notification via email or send you messages from an authorized number.

2: Urgent Voicemails

Voicenotes or Voicemails will be sent to you to contact authorities because your personal information has been compromised.

3: Technical Support

They impersonate belonging to popular organizations such as Microsoft and Google to resolve your technical issues. Through this, they’ll enter your database and can compromise your login credentials and sensitive information.

How to Avoid a Vishing Attack

To avoid a vishing attack, it is necessary to understand its true essence, and here we will be discussing some of the guidelines or pointers to reduce the risk of possible attacks.

  1. Verify the number from which you are getting the call.
  2. Don’t share sensitive information via call, such as OTP, because no authorities will ask for it.
  3. Be aware of the fact that legitimate organizations will not offer gift cards.
  4. In case of suspicion, report it to the concerned authorities.

Conclusion

Technological advancements are thriving everywhere, and it becomes difficult to decode the source or possible sources of an attack with every advancement. Even after several prevention techniques, there is one way or another where the attack can get through, and it’s the only awareness that could prevent your sensitive information.

Investing in tools or dual security measures or connecting with authorized persons before sharing information could save you from an irreplaceable loss. Protecting yourself can start by gaining as much knowledge as possible regarding “what is a vishing attackF” and being alert about the situations created by the attacker. This cybercrime has become more sophisticated, and to tackle it, it becomes necessary to focus on every detail.

Categories:
Criminal Law