Legal Definitions - phishing

Phishing is a type of online scam where someone tries to trick you into giving them your personal information, like your passwords, credit card numbers, or social security number. They do this by creating fake websites or emails that look like they're from real companies or people you trust.

• Smishing: A form of phishing that sends a virus to the phone of a recipient over text or SMS in order to extract data such as communications or other personally identifying information.
• Vishing: Involves the use of phone calls to phish, employing Voice Over Internet Protocols to spoof caller ID that resembles legitimate organizations to deceive intended victims.
• Spear Phishing: Targeted at specific individuals within an organization or group, typically a CEO or executive board members of a company but may also target users of a social networking website.

You receive an email that looks like it's from your bank, asking you to click on a link to verify your account information. The email looks real, with the bank's logo and colors, but when you click on the link, it takes you to a fake website that looks like the bank's website. If you enter your account information, the scammers can use it to steal your money.

This example illustrates how scammers use phishing to trick people into giving them their personal information. They create a fake email and website that looks like it's from a real company, in this case, a bank, to make people believe it's legitimate. Once people enter their account information, the scammers can use it to steal their money or commit other types of fraud.