Vishing ("voice phishing") is the telephone version of phishing.
These are unsolicited phone calls from fraudsters which will encourage you to give out your personal details, such as sensitive financial information.
Fraudsters will call you on your mobile phone or landline pretending to be calling from your bank in order to get your personal information or ask you to provide financial details. They may already have some of your personal information such as your name, address, or phone number to make them sound genuine.
These calls will often seem urgent to encourage you to act as quickly as possible; giving you minimal time to think about whether the call is fraudulent. The atmosphere and background noises can help the calls sound more convincing.
How to avoid becoming a victim
If you receive a suspicious or unexpected call, always verify the caller using an independently checked phone number.
Never give out your personal details (such as your PIN or password) over the phone, even to a caller claiming to be from your bank or the police. If you get a call asking for this information, end the call immediately.
If you receive a request to download software to connect to your computer and you have not initiated the conversation with the company, decline to do so.
If you accidentally share your details, call your financial institution immediately. You should use a different phone to the one they called you on. This is because vishing fraudsters can intercept your outgoing calls, even after you’ve ended the fraudulent call – so they could pretend to be your bank, for example, when you try to report them. Always verify the number you are calling.