Vishing for sensitive data

Vishing, or voice phishing, is a form of fraud where cybercriminals trick you into providing sensitive information through a phone call. The calls can come from an actual person or robocalls. A common vishing attack might offer to provide tech support needing access to your computer, collect an urgent payment, solve a tax problem, or help claim a prize.

• Consider whether to respond to calls from numbers you don’t recognize. Let the call go to voicemail so you can evaluate the content before responding.
• Scammers fake caller ID information to mask the true source of a call, so don’t rely on this to validate the identity of a caller.
• Don’t confirm or deny any information the caller provides, and don’t provide any additional information if you’re suspicious.

Be skeptical of a request for sensitive information from an unsolicited caller. Validate the request through a known telephone number or email address rather than the contact information provided by the caller.