How To Advoid Vishing And Smishing Attack

As devious and deceitful the scammers are, you can arm yourself with a handful of mitigation tactics. They are all ridiculously easy to remember and will definitely save you time, money, and heaps of wasted energy. Almost all apply to any form of phishing you might encounter.

• Check and double check the number of the caller, or source of the instant or text message. The number may have been spoofed to look like an official source. 
• Even if the number looks legitimate, when you’re requested to call a number back, always use a different phone line. This avoids “no hang-up” scams. Use a number from a recent bank statement, or look up the main customer service number for your bank online. 
• Never give anyone your banking information over the phone, no matter how insistent they are. Your bank will not ask you for any identifying details, especially not PIN numbers, the security numbers on the back of card, or even your expiry date. 
• Never transfer money into another account at the behest of a random caller. Your bank will never ask you to do this. Similarly, they will not send a courier to your house to collect your checking book. No official institution will do this, unless perhaps you are being arrested at the behest of the IRS. 
• Be extremely wary of unsolicited texts from your bank or another trusted name. Unless you have previously agreed with your bank that SMS contact is okay, it won’t happen. 
• Be similarly wary of any links included in any SMS message. Shortened links could take you anywhere, and there is little way of knowing what will happen once that link is tapped or clicked. 

Most of all, be vigilant. If you are unsure, simply hang up. If it is an unsolicited text, ignore it. Vishing and smishing social engineering techniques rely on the same abuse of trust as phishing.

Technology will never offer the 100% deterrent we would like. Neither will it detect the scammers 100% of the time. Technology can offer you an excellent starting point, but as with almost everything in life, unless you commit your own due diligence and attempt to think critically about incoming communications, you’re setting yourself up for a really bad time.