Have you noticed an uptick in suspicious text messages or phone calls? I have, mostly from companies wanting to loan me money at an outrageous interest rate. Did you know there’s a name for that?
If you’ve received a suspicious phone call, it is vishing, and fraudulent texts are smishing. Where do they come up with these names? Vishing stands for voice phishing, and smishing stands for SMS phishing.
A natural person may call you, or it could be a robocall in a vishing scheme. They say they’re calling from a legitimate company and may even spoof a legitimate company phone number. Smishing schemes send you a text with a link to open an app or visit a website.
As with phishing scams, the best way to secure your business against vishing and smishing is to educate your employees on handling the attacks. Cybercriminals seek information that gets them into your systems or accounts, whether phishing, vishing, or smishing. Be sure employees confirm that they’re speaking with a legitimate representative.
Cybercriminals often pose as government agencies or salespeople on the phone. They enjoy saying your CEO wants you to give them the information and put a rush on it. Rushing and invoking a higher authority indicates a scam.
Don’t respond to texts if you don’t recognize the name or number. If you recognize a name or number, verify it by calling or emailing the business associate via their known, legitimate contact information. It’s easy on a smartphone to block suspicious contacts so they don’t bother you again.
Author: Kris Keppeler is a writer who finds technology fascinating and loves humor. She writes on Medium.com, and for Women of Wisdom. An award-winning podcast producer who enjoys telling funny stories. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) @KrisNarrates or on LinkedIn.
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