What Is Vishing? How To Protect Against Vishing Scams

Have you ever received one of those calls from “the Social Security Administration” that sound scary and mildly threatening? Yeah, that’s a vishing call. It’s a phone scammer looking to create a situation that tricks you into giving out information you normally wouldn’t give to a stranger.

According to updated FTC data, $12.5 billion was lost in 2024 due to fraud, with $5.7 billion of that amount coming from regular consumers like you, not from large corporations. The number of people being defrauded remained consistent with the previous year, but in 2024, individuals lost 25% more money.[1]

Prevention is possible, but remediation is necessary. The best identity theft protection software may have preventative alerts in place, but what’s important is that it backs you with insurance in case you do fall prey to a vishing scammer. Below, we outline vishing, name specific scams, and outline preventative measures you can take to stay secure.

Vishing vs. phishing

Vishing, a form of phishing, relies on phone calls rather than texts, emails, or fake websites.

Phishing is when a scammer messages you a text with a link, sends an email with an attachment, or just wants you to click on a fake website in an attempt to “fish” for your personal information. From there, you could disclose sensitive information, such as login credentials, financial account details, your Social Security number, and more. You may also accidentally download malware that steals your credentials and data.

Comparatively, vishing is a type of social engineering where a scammer calls you in an attempt to sound more legitimate. A person telling you you’ll go to jail because of unpaid SSA fees sounds much scarier than a poorly worded email or text from a random number. Like phishing, vishing attacks occur with the intent to “fish” for your personal information.

Most common vishing attacks

Vishing attempts sound very real and may make you nervous. They try to get you to make a decision immediately. They have more urgency than a phishing email or text. If the person on the other end of the phone is being pushy, telling you that it must be resolved now, that’s a clear sign this may be a scam.

Here are some of the most common vishing scams:

1. Bank impersonation scams attempt to impersonate someone from your bank. They could say they want to verify your identity or that your account has a hold. The scarier the scenario, the more likely you are to panic and give up your information without double-checking.
2. IRS tax scams are common, especially around tax time. Again, these scams aim to obtain personal information that could grant them access to your bank accounts or identity.
3. Social Security or Medicare scams are designed to obtain your personal information, primarily for the purpose of identity theft.
4. Delivery scams operate under the guise of an undelivered package. The company may claim your space was inaccessible or that additional fees are needed to deliver. The goal is to get you to pay up, even though you won't be receiving a package.
5. Voice-cloning vishing scams are either currently utilizing AI deepfakes or will soon do so. The goal of this scam is to impersonate someone you recognize to authorize a transaction or obtain personal information.
6. Loan and investment scams are closely related to multi-level marketing (MLM) schemes and pyramid schemes. They offer fake loans or too-good-to-be-true investment opportunities to get your money or bank details.
7. Job and hiring scams tell you that a recruiter saw you and wants to hire you for a job. Often, you’ll receive a survey or questionnaire to fill out, and then you’ll be hired without an interview or speaking with anyone from the company. The scammer then asks for copies of all your documents, including your driver’s license, SS card, bank info, and more.

What do vishing scammers want?

Theft is the ultimate goal of vishing. Whether it’s your bank account or your identity, the scammer is looking for a way to profit from you personally. The information that’s most valuable includes:

• Financial account information: Bank account and credit card account information.
• Personally identifiable information (PII): Your name, home address, phone number, and other related information that they can use to pose as you or access your accounts. Any digital information, including your medical history and work history, can be used to commit identity theft.
• Login credentials: Security credentials, such as usernames, passwords, and PINs, used to access your accounts.
• Social Security numbers: Social Security numbers can be used to steal your identity for anything from opening a fake account to selling your details to someone in need of a U.S. identity.

What to do if you suspect you’re a victim of vishing

It’s always better to hang up with the caller and do extra research. Recently, a friend was contacted by an impostor recruiter who requested he fill out a questionnaire to assess his eligibility and then “hired” him without conducting an interview. The friend was skeptical and reached out to the company’s HR department, which confirmed that this was a scam.

If you’re nervous that a call may be real, take the following steps:

1. Obtain the name of the agency or company making the call.
2. Do not give the caller any information and then hang up.
3. Research the legitimacy of the entity online to verify its authenticity.
4. Visit the entity’s secure, official website, such as the Social Security Administration's official government page or a company’s human resources division.
5. Reach out to a support agent via the official website using only the secure methods outlined by the entity.

FAQs

Bottom line: How to prevent phone scams

The best way to prevent phone scams is to refuse to engage with unsolicited callers. You’re protecting yourself, whether you block unknown numbers from contacting you, refuse to answer, or hang up once you realize the caller may have less than honorable intentions.

Remember, you don’t need to act immediately. The scammer hopes that you will become flustered and easily give up your information under pressure.

Sometimes you may fall victim to a scammer. It’s happened to all of us. That’s why using a preventative measure, like one of the best identity theft protection services already active, can help you recover. Even if there hasn’t been any theft, your identity theft agent can help you secure your identity to prevent potential issues.

With the help of AI, scammers are getting more sophisticated. Arm yourself with the tools and knowledge you need to avoid being their next victim.