What Is Vishing? The Voice Scam Tricking Millions

Cybercriminals are constantly inventing new ways to trick people, and one of the most dangerous yet underestimated methods is vishing. It involves scammers using phone calls to deceive victims into revealing sensitive information or performing harmful actions. “Vishing” is a blend of the words voice and phishing. While phishing broadly refers to attempts by cybercriminals to trick people into giving up money or personal information, vishing specifically uses phone conversations as the medium for deception. Vishing attacks have skyrocketed over the past year. Bluefire Redteam reported a staggering 1,633% spike in vishing-related incidents in Q1 2025 compared to Q4 2024, signaling that the threat is not slowing down but compounding quarter over quarter. In 2023 alone, global losses attributed to vishing scams reached $1.2 billion, according to BioCatch.

---

How Does Vishing Work

A typical vishing attack usually unfolds in several stages, each designed to build trust and manipulate the target into giving up valuable information:

1. Preparation
   Before making the call, scammers often collect background information about the target. This could come from stolen data in large-scale leaks, social media profiles, or even company websites. The more details they have, the more convincing their story becomes.
2. Impersonation
   The attacker poses as someone trustworthy, such as a bank officer, government agent, or IT support technician. Caller ID spoofing is commonly used to make the incoming number appear legitimate, sometimes even showing the victim’s bank name or local police department.
3. Engagement
   Once on the call, scammers use psychological tactics to gain control of the conversation. They might create a sense of urgency (“your account will be frozen if you don’t act now”), fear (“you’re under investigation”), or authority (“I’m calling from the IRS/your bank’s fraud department”). This pressure reduces the victim’s ability to think critically.
4. Extraction
   Under stress or misplaced trust, the victim is manipulated into revealing sensitive data (such as banking credentials, PINs, or one-time security codes) or performing an action, such as transferring money or installing malicious software on their device.
5. Exploitation
   Finally, the stolen information is monetized. Criminals may drain bank accounts, commit identity theft, or sell the victim’s details on the dark web to other fraudsters. In some cases, the scammer may return with follow-up calls, pretending to help “recover” the stolen funds, only to steal more.

---

Common Vishing Types

1. AI-Driven Vishing
   With the rise of accessible and free AI voice-cloning tools, cybercriminals are now incorporating artificial intelligence into vishing schemes. By using just a few audio clips or video recordings, scammers can build highly realistic voice models. These synthetic voices allow attackers to hold live conversations, responding naturally to victims and making the impersonation far more convincing than traditional scams.
2. Robocalls
   Robocalls are an early form of vishing. These rely on pre-recorded, computer-generated messages similar to automated customer service systems. While less sophisticated than AI-powered attacks since they cannot adapt to a person’s responses, robocalls still manage to deceive millions each year through repetition and volume.
3. VoIP Exploitation
   Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology enables scammers to generate thousands of phone numbers simultaneously. This lets them quickly scale their operations while bypassing blocked or blacklisted numbers. Although VoIP is a legitimate communication tool, criminals heavily exploit it to launch large-scale vishing campaigns.
4. Caller ID Spoofing
   Attackers often manipulate caller ID displays to disguise their true identity. Using tools purchased on the dark web, scammers can make their number appear as though it belongs to a trusted source, such as a bank, government office, or even a victim’s employer. These spoofed IDs can look strikingly authentic, making the calls very difficult to detect as fraudulent.
5. Dumpster Diving
   Targeted mainly at businesses, dumpster diving involves searching through discarded physical documents to gather sensitive details. Information such as invoice formats, employee names, or financial records can be used to craft highly believable vishing calls. For instance, referencing real invoice numbers can help fraudsters demand “unpaid” payments with credibility.
6. Fake Tech Support Calls
   This type of scam frequently targets employees in large organizations where staff may not personally know IT personnel. Scammers impersonate technical support staff, claiming there is a problem that requires login credentials or remote access. Once obtained, these details are often used to breach corporate systems for larger cyberattacks.
7. Prize or Special Offer Scams
   A long-running scheme that continues to resurface, this type of vishing call tells the victim they’ve won a contest or are eligible for a limited-time deal on products or services. To claim the reward, the caller asks for personal details or payment information, which is then misused for fraud.

---

Why Vishing is Effective

Unlike emails or text messages, voice communication feels more personal and urgent, making it a powerful tool for manipulation. Attackers exploit human psychology by pretending to hold authority, such as a bank manager, CEO, or law enforcement officer, or by creating a false sense of urgency, for example, by warning that “your account will be locked in five minutes.” They may also instill fear through threats of legal action or financial loss, or take the opposite approach by using a friendly, trustworthy tone to lower suspicion. This combination of emotional triggers often causes victims to bypass their usual skepticism and comply with the attacker’s requests. Timeliness plays a big role in vishing scams. Attackers frequently tie their schemes to ongoing events to make them more convincing. For instance, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many employees had just transitioned to remote work. Scammers seized this moment by posing as IT support staff, requesting usernames and passwords under the guise of helping employees access corporate systems and applications.

---

How to Protect Yourself from Vishing

1. Verify the Caller
   If you receive a suspicious call, never provide information right away. Instead, hang up and call back using the official phone number listed on the organization’s website, bank card, or government portal. Scammers often create a sense of urgency to stop you from double-checking, resist the pressure, and confirm for yourself.
2. Never Share Sensitive Information
   Legitimate banks, government agencies, and reputable companies will never ask for personal details such as passwords, PINs, or one-time passcodes (OTPs) over the phone. If someone asks for this kind of information, it’s almost certainly a scam.
3. Be Skeptical of Caller ID
   Phone numbers displayed on your screen can be easily spoofed to look like they are coming from your bank, local police, or even family members. Don’t rely on caller ID alone to determine authenticity. Always verify through trusted channels.
4. Report Suspicious Calls
   If you suspect you’ve been targeted, notify your bank, employer, or local cybercrime authority right away. Reporting not only helps protect your own accounts but can also prevent others from becoming victims of the same scheme. In some regions, you can also register scam numbers with telecom regulators or consumer protection agencies.
5. Stay Educated and Train Others
   Awareness is your best defense. Regularly update yourself on common scam tactics and share this knowledge with family members, especially older relatives or younger users who may be more vulnerable. Businesses should also provide security awareness training to employees, since corporate vishing attacks are on the rise.

---

Conclusion

Vishing is a growing threat. Individuals and organizations can protect themselves from becoming victims by understanding how it works and the tactics scammers use. Staying alert, verifying callers, and refusing to share sensitive data over the phone remain the strongest defenses.