Like smishing, vishing will be familiar to many, even if not by name. The next attack in our series covering the diverse forms of phishing seems to touch everyone these days, whether at home, work, or on mobile.

Vishing involves a fraudulent actor calling a victim pretending to be from a reputable organization and trying to extract personal information, such as banking or credit card information.

Most often, the “caller” on the other line obviously sounds like a robot, but as technology advances this tactic has become more difficult to identify.

How to Avoid Vishing Scams

1. Be skeptical when answering calls from unknown numbers.
2. If they ask for personal information, don’t provide it over the phone.
3. Use a caller ID app, but don’t trust it completely.
4. Search for the caller’s phone number online to see if it’s a known scam.
5. 5. If the call is about a product or service you use, go to the vendor’s website or call the vendor directly to confirm.

Being Vished? Here’s What to Do.

Each tax season, vishing makes the IRS’s "Dirty Dozen" list of scams targeting Americans. It asks that these be reported to phishing@irs.gov.”