Stay alert against vishing calls

Bailey Troutman & Patrick McGee, CCIT Communications & Office of Information Security
June 24, 2024

Stay alert against vishing calls with a cell phone image and the CCIT logoClemson University is seeing an increase in voice phishing, or vishing calls. Vishing is a social engineering tactic performed through phone calls where the caller uses deception and manipulation to gain access to a system or to personal information. The goal of a vishing phone call is to gain access to someone’s account or service by posing as someone they are not. Once a cybercriminal has access to your account, they can change passwords and lock you out of your own account in addition to transferring data or funds from financial accounts.

One example could be someone calling you saying they are a representative of your bank and are seeing some potentially fraudulent purchases on your credit card. They ask you to verify your information, including mailing address, date of birth, or account number. Once they have this information, they could call your bank after and claim to be you. When the bank asks them for the personal information on the account, the cybercriminal now has the right answers from their call with you. 

To reduce the risk of becoming a vishing victim it is recommended to not answer calls from unknown numbers on your personal phone. If you do get a message or call claiming there is an urgent issue, do not trust the validity of the call right away. It is always safer to verify the information yourself by hanging up from the call and then calling the institution or person who supposedly just called you. Do not trust the caller is who they say they are and always verify on your own before giving them personal information. 

Visit this page periodically to stay updated on recent cybersecurity alerts. The Office of Information Security provides frequent updates as new threats or attempts are reported. 

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