Phishing
Definition
A mass deception attack delivered by email, SMS (smishing), or voice call (vishing) in which the attacker impersonates a trusted entity to steal credentials, payment data, or money. Spear-phishing is a targeted variant directed at a specific individual or organisation using personalised detail.
Related terms
- Advance-fee fraud
- A scheme in which the victim is promised a large future payment in exchange for an upfront fee. Variants include the classic...
- Blockchain analytics
- The use of tools such as Chainalysis, Elliptic, or CipherTrace to trace cryptocurrency fund flows across a public ledger. Because most public...
- Business Email Compromise (BEC)
- A fraud in which an attacker impersonates a trusted executive, finance counterpart, or supplier over email to authorise fraudulent wire transfers or...
- Card-not-present (CNP) fraud
- Fraudulent use of payment card data in a transaction where the physical card is absent, typically an online or telephone purchase. The...
- Money mule
- A person who receives fraudulently obtained funds into their bank account and transfers them onward, taking a commission. Mules may be witting...
Explained in
- Online Fraud and Financial CybercrimeA mass deception attack delivered by email, SMS (smishing), or voice call (vishing) in which the attacker impersonates a trusted entity to steal credentials, p...