Level 1 · 1B Phishing · Lesson 3 of 3
Calls, messages, and stories: how they trick you
Scammers don't only use email. They switch channels depending on where they can reach you: a message, a call, a social network. The channel changes, but the trick is the same: getting you to do something out of hurry or trust, without thinking.
The names you'll hear
Phishing is a scam by email or through a fake web page. Smishing is the same scam by text message. Vishing is by voice call. Pretexting is making up a believable story, like «I'm from your bank» or «I'm your boss», so you cooperate. Baiting is leaving bait, like a «lost» USB stick or a free download.
The four levers
Almost every scam pulls one of these: urgency («within an hour»), authority («I'm from the police»), fear («your service will be cut off»), or a prize («you won»). Whenever you feel one of the four, stop: that feeling is the signal.
If you fell for it
It happens even to experts and it's nothing to be ashamed of: what matters is speed. Cut off contact, call your bank at its official number, change your passwords, turn on two-step verification, save screenshots and messages as evidence, and report it to the authorities.
Going deeper
Why they work
It's called social engineering and it doesn't use any technical flaw: it takes advantage of very human mental shortcuts, like obeying authority, wanting to help, or fearing to lose something. That's why many companies run fake phishing attacks on their own employees, to train them to notice the signal.
Review questions
You get a fake text message from a bank. What is that attack called?
Answer: Smishing. Smishing is phishing by text message. Vishing is by voice call.
Someone calls you pretending to be from your internet provider so you'll give them access to your computer. What technique are they using?
Answer: Pretexting by phone: a believable story to gain your trust. They make up a story and use the call to get you to cooperate. No technical flaw is involved.
What do almost all scams have in common?
Answer: They rush you or scare you so you don't think. Urgency, authority, fear, or a prize: it's all aimed at getting you to act without checking.