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Sparkle (0)
Vishing is a new type of phishing scam that uses VoIP technology. Instead of sending you an email asking you to click a link and confirm your account information, vishers use the telephone over the Internet (VoIP) to trick you out of your account information.
With VoIP technology, the phone call can come from and go to a computer. If you receive a phone call telling you that there’s a problem with your account and you need to call a certain number to clear it up, you’re likely being vished. Here’s what happens. You call the number and you are asked to use the keypad on your phone to enter your account number before being connected with an operator. The computer at the other end of the phone records your account number and the game is on.
Everyone has learned by now not to click on an email link that asks you to input you account information, but using the phone for the same scam has caught some people by surprise. It’s easy to set up a fake caller ID, so the call may appear to come from the credit card company or other financial institution that the visher is pretending to be. But if the caller cannot call you by name and supply your account number to you, then it’s most likely someone hoping to deceive.
There was a spate of publicity about this problem back in July 2006, but the problem has resurfaced recently, so be aware.
