Phishing takes many forms
Phishing refers to a seemingly legitimate message or email meant to trick you into taking an action to benefit the criminal who sent it.
While phishes are typically sent by email, they can be sent in many other ways.
Vishing – also known as voice phishing – is like phishing, but is conducted over the phone, either by a person or through robocall.
Smishing is phishing through SMS text messages. These texts or instant messages might appear to be sent by trusted organizations, but they are fraudulent. Smishing scams could request personal information or contain unsafe links.
Search engine phishing – also known as SEO poisoning – targets users through fake websites optimized to show up in your search results. Once you’re on the website, scammers may trick you into revealing valuable information or passwords.
Spear phishing is phishing aimed at a specific person or organization. Cyber criminals often conduct background research on their target to make the scam more believable.
Whaling is a form of spear phishing aimed at top executives. It’s often conducted by cyber criminals impersonating other high-level employees.
Remember that Bank of America, like many businesses, will never ask you for account details unless you call us first.
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